Does the sagittal spinal profile differ between the elderly Chinese populations with and without lumbar disc herniation?

Abstract

Background The influence of spinopelvic morphology on the Chinese elderly LDH population was not clear. The purpose of this study is to explore its influence on the characteristics of lumbar disc herniation or degeneration. Methods 212 elderly patients with LDH and 213 asymptomatic volunteers were involved. Spinal parameters were measured on full-length X-ray and compared between two populations. In herniated group, sagittal profiles were determined according to the Roussouly classification, the degenerative grades, the herniated location and the number of intervertebral lumbar disc degeneration were evaluated from the L1 to S1 on MRI scans. The differences on them among Roussouly types were analyzed. Results There were no significant differences in BMI, the mean value of age and sex distribution between two populations. Patients were found to have significantly smaller TK, LL, and SS than those volunteers (p < 0.05), while contradicting observations on PT and TPA were obtained (p < 0.05). Roussouly type 1 and type 2 ( 50.4% and 28.7% respectively) are predominant in the LDH population and the proportion of type 1 in elderly LDH is further increased. Subjects with LDH in type 1 and 2 had lower mean herniated locations and fewer mean herniated numbers than those with type 3 and 4. Conclusions Sagittal spinopelvic parameters were found to be significantly different in elderly LDH patients and asymptomatic volunteers. There were significant differences in the Roussouly distribution among different age groups of LDH. Different Roussouly subtypes have different effects on lumbar disc degeneration and herniation.