To classify back muscle degeneration using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and investigate its relationship with back pain after surgery.
There are many
conditions associated with the back muscle degeneration. Spinal surgery is
among the reasons for the same. The lumbar spine injuries have been reported to
be suppressed by the posterior lumbar surgery. The most important finding of
this study was the revelation of the Type 2 (fatty) change.
To classify back
muscle degeneration using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and investigate its
relationship with back pain after surgery. Back muscle injury and degeneration
often occurs after posterior lumbar surgery, and the degeneration may be a
cause of back pain. However, the relationship between back muscle degeneration
and back pain remains controversial.
A total of 84
patients (average age, 65.1 years; 38 men, 46 women) with lumbar spinal
stenosis underwent posterior decompression surgery alone. MRI (1.5 tesla) was
evaluated before and more than a year after surgery in all patients. Muscle on
MRI was classified into three categories: low intensity in T1-weighted imaging,
high intensity in T2-weighted imaging (type 1), high intensity in both T1- and
T2-weighted images (type 2), and low intensity in both T1- and T2-weighted
imaging (type 3). The prevalence of the types and their relationship with back
pain (determined on a visual analog scale) were evaluated.
MRI revealed
muscle degeneration in all patients after surgery (type 1, 6%; type 2, 82%; and
type 3, 12%). Type 2 was significantly more frequent compared with types 1 and
3 (p<0.01). Low back pain was significantly improved after surgery
(p<0.01). Low back pain was not associated with any MRI type of muscle
degeneration after surgery (p>0.05).
Various
pathologies of back muscle degeneration after posterior lumbar surgery were
revealed. Type 2 (fatty) change was most frequent, and other patients had type
3 (scar) or type 1 (inflammation or water-like) changes. According to the Modic
classification of bone marrow changes, Modic type 1 change is associated with
inflammation and back pain. However, no particular type of back muscle
degeneration was correlated with back pain after surgery.
Asian spine journal
Classification of Chronic Back Muscle Degeneration after Spinal Surgery and Its Relationship with Low Back Pain
Seiji Ohtori et al.
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