Ultrasounographic assessment of facet joint in the lumbar spine: a feasibility study

doi:10.3877/cma.j.issn.1672-6448.2017.01.011

Abstract

Abstract:

Objective

To assess the feasibility and accuracy of ultrasound evaluation of facet joint in the lumbar spine by comparison of ultrasonography and CT measurements in normal and degenerative lumbar vertebra small joint.

Methods

Fifteen patients with chronic low back pain in Shengjing hospital of China Medical University were taken as the study group ,and 20 healthy volunteers as the healthy controls from physical examination center of our hospital between January 2014 and December 2014. The ultrasonic and CT values were measured in L1 - S1 small joints between normal and abnormal lumbar joints (height and width). The length and width of the left and right side small joints of healthy controls, ultrasonic measurement of healthy controls and patients with chronic low back pain, and value of ultrasonography and CT measurements were compared by using t test.

Results

The abnormal facet joint can be clearly showed by sonography, characterized by bone hyperplasia of edge joints, bone destruction, wear or thinning/thickening of articular cartilage. For the length and width of the lumber joints, the difference of ultrasonic measurement values between normal and abnormal lumbar joints were statistically significant [(1.26±0.03) cm vs (1.43±0.05) cm, t=2.626, P<0.05; (0.18±0.01) cm vs (0.15±0.02) cm, t=2.264, P<0.05]. In patient group, the difference of length and width values in a total of 150 small joints between ultrasonography and CT were not statistically significant [(1.43±0.17) cm vs (1.42±0.16) cm], t=1.655, P>0.05; (0.15±0.03) cm vs (0.14±0.03) cm, t=1.656, P>0.05].

Conclusions

The facet joint of the lumbar can be clearly shown by sonography and it is valuable in the diagnosis of small joint degeneration for lumbar vertebra.

Key words: Lumbar vertebrae, Ultrasonography, Feasibility studies, Low back pain

Ying Huang, Dan Tian, Da Liu, Jing Yin, Qiushuang Yu. Ultrasounographic assessment of facet joint in the lumbar spine: a feasibility study[J]. Chinese Journal of Medical Ultrasound (Electronic Edition), 2017, 14(01): 40-44.

/ / Recommend

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://chaosheng.cma-cmc.com.cn/EN/10.3877/cma.j.issn.1672-6448.2017.01.011

https://chaosheng.cma-cmc.com.cn/EN/Y2017/V14/I01/40

Figures/Tables 3

References 21

[1]	Kalichman L, Hunter DJ. Lumbar facet joint osteoarthritis: a review [J]. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 2007, 37(2):69-80.
[2]	Manchikanti L, Boswell MV, Singh V, et al. Prevalence of facet joint pain in chronic spinal pain of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions [J]. BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2004, 5:15.
[3]	Eubanks JD, Lee MJ, Cassinelli E, et al. Prevalence of lumbar facet arthrosis and its relationship to age, sex, and race: an anatomic study of cadaveric specimens [J]. Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 2007, 32(19):2058-2062.
[4]	Kalichman L, Li L, Kim DH, et al. Facet joint osteoarthritis and low back pain in the community-based population [J]. Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 2008, 33(23):2560-2565.
[5]	Goode AP, Carey TS, Jordan JM. Low back pain and lumbar spine osteoarthritis: how are they related? [J]. Curr Rheumatol Rep, 2013, 15(2):305.
[6]	Manchikanti L, Singh V. Review of chronic low back pain of facet joint origin [J]. Pain Physician, 2002, 5(1):83-101.
[7]	Liu D, Huang Y, Tian D, et al. Quantitative ultrasound assessment of facet joint in the lumbar spine: a feasibility study [J]. Ultrasound Med Biol, 2015, 41(5):1226-1232.
[8]	Pampati S, Cash KA, Manchikanti L. Accuracy of diagnostic lumbar facet joint nerve blocks: a 2-year follow-up of 152 patients diagnosed with controlled diagnostic blocks [J]. Pain Physician, 2009, 12(5):855-866.
[9]	Gore M, Sadosky AB, Leslie DL, et al. Therapy switching, augmentation, and discontinuation in patients with osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain [J]. Pain Pract, 2012, 12(6):457-468.
[10]	高峰，汤健，石志才, 等. 腰椎小关节病变在腰痛中的作用: 附516例前瞻性研究[J]. 第二军医大学学报, 2004, 25(12):1360-1363.
[11]	Loizides A, Gruber H, Peer S, et al. Ultrasound guided versus CT-controlled pararadicular injections in the lumbar spine: a prospective randomized clinical trial [J]. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 2013, 34(2):466-470.
[12]	Aguirre DA, Bermudez S, Diaz OM. Spinal CT-guided interventional procedures for management of chronic back pain [J]. J Vasc Interv Radiol, 2005, 16(5):689-697.
[13]	欧阳林，徐玉琴，郏潜新, 等. 下腰椎小关节退行性病变的X线、CT、MRI影像学比较[J/CD]. 中华临床医师杂志(电子版), 2009, 3(4):658-664.
[14]	金胡日查，崔志明. 腰椎关节突关节退变的影像学研究进展[J/CD]. 中华临床医师杂志(电子版), 2013, 7(8):3577-3579.
[15]	Stehling C, Lane NE, Nevitt MC, et al. Subjects with higher physical activity levels have more severe focal knee lesions diagnosed with 3T MRI: analysis of a non-symptomatic cohort of the osteoarthritis initiative [J]. Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2010, 18(6):776-786.
[16]	Tarhan S, Unlu Z. Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonographic evaluation of the patients with knee osteoarthritis: a comparative study [J]. Clin Rheumatol, 2003, 22(3):181-188.
[17]	Klukowska A, Czyrny Z, Laguna P, et al. Correlation between clinical, radiological and ultrasonographical image of knee joints in children with haemophilia [J]. Haemophilia, 2001, 7(3):286-292.
[18]	叶乐，郑拥军，朱紫瑜, 等. 超声引导下射频损毁腰脊神经后内侧支治疗腰椎小关节综合征[J]. 上海医学, 2012, 35(6):476-479.
[19]	文传兵，李永忠，汤芹芹, 等. 超声探测腰椎小关节的可行性和准确性研究[J]. 四川大学学报(医学版), 2013, 44(2):300-302.
[20]	Masharawi Y, Rothschild B, Dar G, et al. Facet orientation in the thoracolumbar spine: three-dimensional anatomic and biomechanical analysis [J]. Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 2004, 29(16):1755-1763.
[21]	付文芹，吴小涛，祁亚斌, 等. 腰椎小关节退变致腰腿痛机制的实验研究[J]. 中国脊柱脊髓杂志, 2006, 16(6):446-449.

Please choose a citation manager

Content to export