Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Now, there are a large number of articles related to performance of intervertebral disc degeneration in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the relationship between the intervertebral disc degeneration and low back pain. Nonetheless, there are few publications reporting the relationship between the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration and the lumbosacral morphology.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance and relationship between the lumbosacral saggital morphology and intervertebral disc degeneration.
METHODS: MRI of outpatients who went to First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University because of low back pain were retrospectively studied. 167 female patients aged 20 to 30 years old were selected. The presence and degree of intervertebral disc degeneration were evaluated on saggital T2W1 weighted MRI passing through the midsagittal line, angles of lumbar lordosis, sacral table and sacral kyphosis were also measured on the same image.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There were statistically significant differences about the angles of lumbar lordosis (24.31±3.48)°, (26.29±3.74)°, sacral table (102.97±5.58)°, (100.70±3.26)°, and sacral kyphosis (163.45±7.03)°, (167.24±6.71)° respectively in intervertebral disc degeneration group and without intervertebral disc degeneration group (P=0.001, P =0.002, P =0.001, respectively). The sacral kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angles decrease with the increasing of the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration, and the sacral table angle increases in parallel to the increase of the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration. The sacral kyphosis, lumbar lordosis angle and sacral table angle are the morphological parameters for intervertebral disc degeneration evaluation.