Correlations between the feature of sagittal spinopelvic alignment and facet joint degeneration: a retrospective study

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Research Article

Xiaoxing Fu¹  Houyun Gu¹  Yi Ding¹  Qiang Wang¹  Yuan Liu²  Bin Zhang²  Min Dai²  Xin Lv²  Song Zhou² 

[1] Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, 330006, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China;Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 17 Yong Wai Zheng Street, 330006, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China;

关键词: Pelvic incidence;    Facet joint degeneration;    Lumbar lordosis;    Sagittal spinopelvic balance;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12891-016-1193-6

 received in 2016-03-17, accepted in 2016-07-29,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSagittal spinopelvic alignment changes associated with degenerative facet joint arthritis have been assessed in a few studies. It has been documented that patients with facet joint degeneration have higher pelvic incidence, but the relationship between facet joint degeneration and other sagittal spinopelvic alignment parameters is still disputed. Our purpose was to evaluate the correlation between the features of sagittal spinopelvic alignment and facet joint degeneration.MethodsImaging data of 140 individuals were retrospectively analysed. Lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic incidence (PI), sacral slope, and height of the lumbar intervertebral disc were measured on lumbar X-ray plates. Grades of facet joint degeneration were evaluated from the L2 to S1 on CT scans. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and Student’s t-test were used for statistical analyses, and a P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsPI was positively associated with degeneration of the facet joint at lower lumbar levels (p < 0.001 r = 0.50 at L5/S1 and P = 0.002 r = 0.25 at L4/5). A significant increase of PT was found in the severe degeneration group compared with the mild degeneration group: 22.0° vs 15.7°, P = 0.034 at L2/3;21.4°vs 15.1°, P = 0.006 at L3/4; 21.0° vs 13.5°, P = 0.000 at L4/5; 20.8° vs 12.1°, P = 0.000 at L5/S1.ConclusionOur results indicate that a high PI is a predisposing factor for facet joint degeneration at the lower lumbar spine, and that severe facet joint degeneration may accompany with greater PT at lumbar spine.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016