Histomorphometric study of the spinal cord segments in the chick and adult male ostrich (Struthio camelus)

In this study, the vertical, transverse and oblique diameters of the spinal cord segments (C1, C6, C12, C18, T1, T4, L1, L4, L6 and L8) and the ratio of gray matter to white matter in chick (l month) and adult (18 months) male ostriches, each group consisted of 3 animals, were measured with standard micrometric method using 6 µm thick sections by light microscope. With advancement of age, the ratio of gray matter to white matter was reduced but the diameters of spinal cord segments were increased. Statistically, there were significant differences in parameters measured between the two age groups (P<0.05).