title: Which portion in a facet is specifically affected by articular cartilage degeneration with aging in the human lumbar zygapophysial joint?
abstract: Using 10 osteoligamentous vertebral columns obtained from elderly donated cadavers, we describe in detail degenerative changes of the articular cartilage in lumbar zygapophysial joints to show which portion in a facet is specifically affected. Degenerative changes, including extended cartilage defects, occurred in multiple facets of every specimen. The results demonstrated 5 basic morphologies of degeneration, i.e., 1) marginal dominace in the articular surface, 2) lower segment dominance except for the lowest (L5/S) facet, 3) advancement in the inferior articular process, 4) cranial and caudal dominance rather than the dorsal dominance in the articular surface and 5) progress in a mirror-image manner. These rules seemed to be consistent with differences in size, shape and kinesiological aspects of the facet between segments and between portions in a facet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556 Japan.
authors.forename: Iwao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tanno
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oguma
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Shu-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint / Q000473:pathology*