Coluna/Columna (Oct 2020)

FACET JOINT DEGENERATION IN PATIENTS WITH LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION AND PROBABLE DETERMINING FACTORS

  • RODRIGO ARNOLD TISOT,
  • JULIANO DA SILVEIRA VIEIRA,
  • DIEGO DA SILVA COLLARES,
  • DARBY LIRA TISATTO,
  • AUGUSTO PASINI,
  • BRENDA GOBETTI,
  • EDUARDO CORONEL,
  • EDUARDO SCHARNOVSKI,
  • MAIARA AGOSTINI,
  • MATEUS BORIN,
  • PEDRO RUSCHEL,
  • WALTER ISERHARD,
  • LUIZA RECH KOHLER

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/s1808-185120201904222827
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 4
pp. 262 – 265

Abstract

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ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate facet joint degeneration following surgical treatment in patients with lumbar disc herniation, seeking to correlate it with possible determining factors. Methods Cross-sectional observational study, which analyzed medical records, radiographs and magnetic resonance images of 287 patients with lumbar disc herniation treated surgically at the Spine Surgery Service of the Hospital Ortopédico de Passo Fundo. Information about age and sex was collected. In the imaging exams, the following variables were evaluated: facet joint angulation and its tropism, measured by the Karacan method, sacral slope and lumbar lordosis, measured by the Cobb method, arthrosis of the interfacetary joints, measured by the Weishaupt classification, and intervertebral disc degeneration, measured by the Pfirrmann classification. Results A statistically significant relationship was observed between facet joint degeneration and age (p = 0.002), and also between facet joint degeneration and sacral slope (p = 0.038). No correlation was found between facet joint degeneration and lumbar lordosis (p = 0.934). It was found that the most degenerated facet joints were those that had the greatest facet joint asymmetry (tropism). However, the mean degree of facet tropism did not increase homogeneously with the progression of the joint degeneration score (p = 0.380). Conclusion It was verified that there are, in fact, a multiplicity of factors related to the degree of facet joint degeneration in the low lumbar spine. Additional studies, correlated with the asymmetry of the facet joints, would be important to elucidate better preventive management of this degeneration, aiming to avert secondary low back pain and sciatica with advancing age. Level of evidence II; Retrospective study.

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