title: Correlations between the feature of sagittal spinopelvic alignment and facet joint degeneration: a retrospective study.
abstract: Sagittal spinopelvic alignment changes associated with degenerative facet joint arthritis have been assessed in a few studies. It has been documented that patients with facet joint degeneration have higher pelvic incidence, but the relationship between facet joint degeneration and other sagittal spinopelvic alignment parameters is still disputed. Our purpose was to evaluate the correlation between the features of sagittal spinopelvic alignment and facet joint degeneration.
  
  
  
  Imaging data of 140 individuals were retrospectively analysed. Lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic incidence (PI), sacral slope, and height of the lumbar intervertebral disc were measured on lumbar X-ray plates. Grades of facet joint degeneration were evaluated from the L2 to S1 on CT scans. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and Student's t-test were used for statistical analyses, and a P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
  
  
  
  PI was positively associated with degeneration of the facet joint at lower lumbar levels (p < 0.001 r = 0.50 at L5/S1 and P = 0.002 r = 0.25 at L4/5). A significant increase of PT was found in the severe degeneration group compared with the mild degeneration group: 22.0° vs 15.7°, P = 0.034 at L2/3;21.4°vs 15.1°, P = 0.006 at L3/4; 21.0° vs 13.5°, P = 0.000 at L4/5; 20.8° vs 12.1°, P = 0.000 at L5/S1.
  
  
  
  Our results indicate that a high PI is a predisposing factor for facet joint degeneration at the lower lumbar spine, and that severe facet joint degeneration may accompany with greater PT at lumbar spine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 17 Yong Wai Zheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 17 Yong Wai Zheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 17 Yong Wai Zheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China.
authors.forename: Houyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 17 Yong Wai Zheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China. 616296148@qq.com.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 17 Yong Wai Zheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China. 446258934@qq.com.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001168:Arthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008141:Lordosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008161:Lumbosacral Region / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012447:Sacrum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Facet joint degeneration; Lumbar lordosis; Pelvic incidence; Sagittal spinopelvic balance