Disc degeneration of cervical spine on MRI in patients with lumbar disc herniation: comparison study with asymptomatic volunteers.
Summary of "Disc degeneration of cervical spine on MRI in patients with lumbar disc herniation: comparison study with asymptomatic volunteers."
An association between progression of cervical disc degeneration and that of lumbar disc degeneration has been considered to exist. To date, however, this association has not yet been adequately studied. Age-related changes in the cervical intervertebral discs were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with lumbar disc herniation, and compared with the MRI findings of healthy volunteers without lower back pain. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether the prevalence of asymptomatic cervical disc degeneration is higher in patients with lumbar disc herniation than in healthy volunteers. The study was conducted on 51 patients who were diagnosed as having lumbar disc herniation and underwent cervical spine MRI. The patients consisted of 34 males and 17 females ranging in age from 21-83 years (mean 46.9 ± 14.5 years) at the time of the study. The control group was composed of 113 healthy volunteers (70 males and 43 females) aged 24-77 years (mean 48.9 ± 14.7 years), without neck pain or low back pain. The percentage of subjects with degenerative changes in the cervical discs was 98.0% in the lumbar disc herniation group and 88.5% in the control group (p = 0.034). The presence of lumbar disc herniation was associated significantly with decrease in signal intensity of intervertebral disc and posterior disc protrusion in the cervical spine. None of the MRI findings was significantly associated with the gender, smoking, sports activities, or BMI. As compared to healthy volunteers, patients with lumbar disc herniation showed a higher prevalence of decrease in signal intensity of intervertebral disc and posterior disc protrusion on MRI of the cervical spine. The result of this study suggests that disc degeneration appears to be a systemic phenomenon.
Affiliation
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan, e-okada@pg8.so-net.ne.jp.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the Euro
ISSN: 1432-0932
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21127918
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00586-010-1644-y
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Electrophoresis, Disc
Electrophoresis in which discontinuities in both the voltage and pH gradients are introduced by using buffers of different composition and pH in the different parts of the gel column. The term 'disc' was originally used as an abbreviation for 'discontinuous' referring to the buffers employed, and does not have anything to do with the shape of the separated zones.
Scheuermann Disease
A type of juvenile osteochondrosis affecting the fibrocartilaginous disc (INTERVERTEBRAL DISK) in the thoracic or thoracolumbar region of the SPINE. It is characterized by a forward concave SPINAL CURVATURE or KYPHOSIS.
Lordosis
The anterior concavity in the curvature of the lumbar and cervical spine as viewed from the side. The term usually refers to abnormally increased curvature (hollow back, saddle back, swayback). It does not include lordosis as normal mating posture in certain animals ( = POSTURE + SEX BEHAVIOR, ANIMAL).
Desulfurococcales
An order of CRENARCHAEOTA comprised of irregular coccoid to disc-shaped, hyperthermophiles, and found in submarine hydrothermal systems and solfataric hot springs.
Nodularia
A form-genus of filamentous CYANOBACTERIA in the order Nostocales. Its members can be planktonic or benthic and the trichomes are composed of disc-shaped vegetative cells.
PubMed Articles
Tandem age-related lumbar and cervical intervertebral disc changes in asymptomatic subjects.
PURPOSE: To investigate the frequency of tandem lumbar and cervical intervertebral disc degeneration in asymptomatic subjects. METHODS: We evaluated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results from 94 vo...
INTRODUCTION: Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is characterized as a multifactorial disease, in which the hereditary background is thought to be of high importance. Accordingly, one would expect...
Torsion biomechanics of the spine following lumbar laminectomy: a human cadaver study.
PURPOSE: Lumbar laminectomy affects spinal stability in shear loading. However, the effects of laminectomy on torsion biomechanics are unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect...
Early stages of intervertebral disc degeneration are postulated to cause instability. In the literature, however, some authors report the opposite. These contradictory positions are probably supported...
Upper thoracic spine arthroplasty via the anterior approach.
Significant progress has been made in lumbar and cervical disc replacement therapy. Several cervical disc prostheses have recently gained FDA approval. Although arthroplasty has not been previously de...
Clinical Trials
The purpose of this study is to find out if use of a cervical disc prosthesis in the treatment of a cervical disc herniation preserves or restores normal mobility and movement in the cervi...
Comparison of DISCOVER™ Artificial Cervical Disc and ACDF for Treatment of Cervical DDD (IDE Study)
The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of the DISCOVER Artificial Cervical Disc in the treatment of degenerative disc disease in one level in the cervical s...
The purpose of this study is to establish the safety and effectiveness of the Advent™ Cervical Disc compared to Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) in treating degenerative di...
Freedom Lumbar Disc in the Treatment of Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease
This study will look at the result of using the FLD device as an artificial lumbar disc. The study will compare the safety and effectiveness of the FLD artificial lumbar disc to an already...
Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) - Intervertebral Disc Herniation
This study tests the effectiveness of different treatments for the three most commonly diagnosed lumbar (lower) spine conditions. The purpose of the study is to learn which of two commonly...
