title: Multifidus Degeneration, A New Risk Factor for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Case-Control Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze whether multifidus degeneration has a relationship with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data of 40 patients with LSS were analyzed retrospectively. Moreover, 40 healthy people were selected as controls. Subjects of both groups underwent a 1.5-T lumbar spinal magnetic resonance imaging scan in our hospital, and then the multifidus muscularity, fatty infiltration ratio, and bilateral asymmetry at L4/5 level on magnetic resonance imaging were measured with ImageJ software to analyze and compare the multifidus parameters between the 2 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the control group, the multifidus muscularity was lower, fatty infiltration ratio was greater, and muscle asymmetry was more significant at the L4/5 level in patients with LSS, and the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multifidus degeneration, including reduced volume, increased fatty infiltration, and bilateral muscle asymmetry, has an association with LSS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jiayao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Haibin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Bangke
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Qunfeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: wenyuanspine@126.com.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: xuhualu@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D064170:Paraspinal Muscles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Bilateral asymmetry; Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis; Fatty infiltration ratio; Multifidus degeneration; Muscularity