Analyzing the morphologic characteristics of pedicle-facet joints in lumbar spondylolysis: correlation with spinopelvic parameters and its clinical relevance
10.3760/cma.j.cn121113-20230904-00139
- VernacularTitle:基于脊柱骨盆参数探讨腰椎峡部裂患者椎弓根-关节突的形态特点及临床意义
- Author:
Baoqiang HE
1
;
Yebo LENG
;
Dejun ZHONG
;
Yang LI
;
Yehui LIAO
;
Qiang TANG
;
Chao TANG
;
Fei MA
;
Qing WANG
Author Information
1. 西南医科大学附属医院骨科，泸州 646000
- Keywords:
Lumbar vertebrae;
Spondylolysis;
Zygapophyseal joint;
Biomechanical phenomena
- From:
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics
2024;44(3):177-185
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To delineate the morphological features of pedicle-facet joints in lumbar spondylolysis patients, correlating these with spinopelvic parameters to explore their mechanisms and clinical implications.Methods:This study enrolled 121 patients with L 5 spondylolysis (IS group), 108 with L 4, 5 degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS group), and 100 with normal L 4, 5 but L 5S 1 lumbar disc herniation (NL group), who underwent radiography and multislice spiral CT from May 2020 to January 2023. Parameters including vertebral slip percentage (SP) and spinopelvic alignments, such as sacral slope and lumbar lordosis, were quantified using standing lateral lumbar radiographs. Morphological parameters of the L 4 and L 5 facet joints were measured on 3D reconstructed lumbar CT images, including the facet joint angle (FJA), pedicle-facet joint angle (PFA), facet joint osteoarthritis (OA), and facet joint tropism (FT). Results:The analysis revealed significant variances in SS and LL among the groups ( F=21.910, P<0.001; F=22.439, P<0.001). The IS group exhibited the highest SS and LL, followed by the DS and NL groups. Morphological assessments showed the largest L 4 FJA in the IS group, with progressive decreases in the DS and NL groups ( F=344.791, P<0.001). Conversely, L 4 PFA was greatest in the DS group ( F=193.725, P<0.001). Notably, L 4 OA was markedly more severe in the DS group compared to IS and NL groups ( H=467.925, P<0.001), with no significant disparity between IS and NL groups ( P>0.05). Correlation analyses within each cohort highlighted a negative association of sacral slope and lumbar lordosis with facet joint angles, yet a positive correlation with pedicle-facet joint angles both with statistical significance ( P<0.05). Furthermore, L 4 facet joint angles were consistently smaller than those at L 5, and L 4 pedicle-facet joint angles were larger than L 5 ( P<0.05). Osteoarthritis at L 5 was more pronounced in the IS group compared to L 4 ( Z=7.043, P<0.001), a trend inversely observed in the DS group ( Z=11.868, P<0.001), while the NL group showed no significant osteoarthritic variance between levels ( Z=0.556, P=0.578). Conclusion:Patients with lumbar spondylolysis demonstrate elevated sacral slope and lumbar lordosis, indicative of increased localized biomechanical stress in the lumbar spine. These alterations in the morphology of the pedicle-facet joints highlight the distinctive structural adaptations and potential strain distributions within this cohort.
