Radiographic analysis of lumbar spine for low-back pain in the general population

Abstract

We sought to demonstrate a correlation between low-back pain (LBP) and the plain radiographic findings of the lumbar spine in the general population based on an analysis of 838 persons, 387 of whom presented with complaints of low-back pain. The incidence of intervertebral narrowing and irregular ossification of the vertebral end-plate image increased consistently with age and was higher in the presence of LBP in any age or gender group. Multiregression analysis was performed with the imaging factors as multivariates. As a result, multiregression equations with irregular ossification of the vertebral end-plate image, intervertebral narrowing, spondylolisthesis and abnormal lumbar lordotic angle combined as variates showed the highest significance as predictors of a relationship with LBP. The discrimination analysis was performed using the linear discriminant function, resulting in a true discrimination rate of 65%. Plain radiography of the lumbar spine is thus significant as it provides information which can be evaluated as meaningful findings in the investigation of LBP. In addition, while the significance can be increased by considering multiple factors, it is important to understand the limits of the accuracy of this prediction.

The association between lumbar spine radiographic features and low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Of the 28 studies, 22 were community-based, including 22,925 subjects; 56% were female, the mean age ranged from 38.7 years to 74.7 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) ranged from 23.0 to 30.4 [14][15][16][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]. The most frequent study design was cross-sectional (N ¼ 18), followed by case-control (N ¼ 2) and cohort (N ¼ 1).…”

Novel elemental grading system for radiographic lumbar spondylosis in a population based-cohort study of a Japanese mountain village

“…Goode et al reported that the prevalence of DHN at a mild or greater severity was more than 73.3% in subjects aged 65 years or older [ 21 ]. Accumulating evidence shows a significant association between DHN and LBP [ 8 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 23 ]. A systemic review by Raastad et al also concluded that DHN was significantly associated with LBP [ 3 ].…”

Outcomes of Instrumented and Noninstrumented Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion

“…This is concordant with the findings of several authors. 9,10,12–16 However, in a study addressing sagittal alignment and ASD in 83 patients, Kumar et al 17 found the lowest incidence of ASD in patients with normal alignment and the highest in patients who had alterations in the C7 plumb line. Their study highlights the fact that the global sagittal balance of the spine may be a more important factor than the degree of lumbar lordosis itself.…”