Association of Pedicle-Facet Angel and Facet Tropism in Sagittal Plain in Patient with Degenerative Spondylolisthesis

Degenerative spondylolisthesis is one of the most common diseases of the spine, which means sliding forward (listhesis) of the spine (spondylosis). The precise role of fast joint tropism in the development of degenerative spondylolisthesis is doubtful and debated. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between the pedicle-facet angle and the vertebral facet orientation in the sagittal plane in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis.

The present study was of an analytical type comparing two groups, which was conducted in 1402 at Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan. 120 people were randomly included in the study, 60 people were in the case group (patients with back pain or sciatica pain) and 60 people were in the control group (without back pain and sciatica pain). CT scan images were prepared for patients according to the protocol, and then images were made in other anatomical planes using MPR. Axial CT scan images were taken to observe the upper surface of L3-S1 vertebral pedicle. Data was analyzed by using SPSS.

The findings showed that the average facet pedicle angle at all levels in the case group was higher than the control group at the same level. At L3-L4 level, a significant difference was seen between the average pedicle fast angle in the case and control groups. The incidence of tropism in L3-L4 and L5-S1 levels was higher in the case group than in the control group. In this study, there was no significant difference between the average tropism in the case and control groups in any of the levels. Also, the study did not show a significant difference between the average vertebral slip in the case and control groups in any of the levels.

This study showed that the percentage of people with fast tropism in two groups is not significantly different. The findings of this study indicate that fast tropism is not related to degenerative spondylosis.