Comparative morphometric analysis of congenital and acquired lumbar spinal stenosis

Abstract

Lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the primary causes of low back pain and is one of the primary causes of spinal surgery. Lumbar spinal stenosis is classified as congenital, acquired and a combination of both. Although the symptoms of both groups are similar, their etiology and radiographic features demonstrate some differences. Our aim to compare morphological characteristics of congenital and acquired lumbar spinal. We have reviewed CT and T2 weighted MRI images of 100 lumbar spinal stenosis patients operated between the years of 2014-2018 in our clinic. For each patient; pedicle length, facet joint angles, the degree of facet tropism, the lateral recess height and ligamentum flavum thickening have been determined. In patients within the congenital lumbar spinal stenosis, pedicle length has significantly found to be shorter than the "acquired" group. There is no significant difference between the facet joint angles of neither group and the facet tropism degrees in many of the patients appear to be similar and "no type". No significant difference has been found in the statistical distribution of lateral recess height and thickening of ligamentum flavum in acquired lumbar spinal stenosis and congenital lumbar spinal stenosis patient groups. As a result of the evaluations of facet joint angles of both groups, more sagittalized facet joints are related to the development of congenital and acquired lumbar spinal stenosis. As a result of our study, we think that facet joint angle and tropism type is not a distinctive factor in congenital and acquired lumbar spinal stenosis etiology.

Keywords: Acquired lumbar spinal stenosis; Congenital lumbar spinal stenosis; Degenerative changes; Facet tropism; Lumbar vertebra; Morphometric analysis.