Correlation between facet joint effusion in magnetic resonance imaging and lumbar stability after interspinous and degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.1295

Abstract

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Clinically, the diagnosis of lumbar spine stability in patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis is mostly based on lumbar lateral flexion and extension X-ray, but this examination has certain limitations, so it is necessary to find a reliable predictor of lumbar stability.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between facet joint effusion and lumbar stability after interspinous and degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis by retrospectively analyzing patients’ imaging data.

METHODS: A total of 108 patients with L₄_-₅ lumbar spondylolisthesis in Department of Spinal Surgery, Tianjin People’s Hospital from December 2016 to January 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients signed the informed consent. This study was approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee. The patients were divided into non-effusion group (n=55) and effusion group (n=53) according to the presence and absence of intra-articular effusion of intervertebral facet joint based on lumbar MRI. The two groups were comparatively analyzed. In the effusion group, the correlation between the effusion width of bilateral facet joint and the dynamic slip index of sagittal vertebra, the rotation degree of sagittal vertebral body, bilateral degeneration index of facet joint, intervertebral disc degeneration index were statistically analyzed separately.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Compared with the effusion group, the instability rate was lower; the dynamic slip volume, dynamic slip index, and the sagittal rotation degree were less; and the degeneration degree of facet joint and intervertebral disc was higher in the non-effusion group (P=0.000). (2) There was a linear positive correlation between the width of effusion of bilateral facet joints and the dynamic slip index of the sagittal vertebral body, the rotation degree of the sagittal vertebral body in the effusion group (r=0.710, P=0.000; r=0.452, P=0.001). There was a linear negative correlation between the width of effusion of bilateral facet joints and the degeneration index of bilateral facet joint and intervertebral disc in the effusion group (r=-0.630, P=0.000; r=-0.648, P=0.000). (3) The presence of effusion in the facet joint on MRI in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients suggested instability. The total fluid accumulation of the facet joint in the segment of spondylolisthesis was positively correlated with the translation instability and rotation instability of the lumbar vertebrae. There was a negative correlation between the volume of effusion of bilateral facet joints and the degree of degeneration of intervertebral disc and facet joints.

Key words: facet joint effusion, lumbar MRI, lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar stability, intervertebral disc degeneration, correlation analysis

CLC Number:

R459.9|R445.2

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R459.9|R445.2

Ma Junfeng, Wang Wei, Wang Zikuo, Jiang Zehua, Long Mingxing, Yuan Jianjun, Zhu Rusen, Hu Wei, Zhang Xueli.

Correlation between facet joint effusion in magnetic resonance imaging and lumbar stability after interspinous and degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis

[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2019, 23(24): 3845-3851.

Figures/Tables 3

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