The Relationship between Spondylolisthesis and Modic Changes: An MRI Study
The Relationship between Spondylolisthesis and Modic Changes: An MRI Study
Aim: We aimed to investigate the relationship between the presence of spondylolisthesis and Modic changes (MCs) by using lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods: The study included 139 adult patients aged 18-65 years with lumbar spondylolisthesis detected on lumbar MRI. Demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and levels and grades of spondylolisthesis, and presence of lumbar MCs/types were recorded. The findings were compared between two groups including grade 1 and grade 2 spondylolisthesis.
Results: Grade 1 and 2 spondylolisthesis groups were similar for age (p=0.787), sex (p=0.076), listhesis' level (p=0.268) and direction (p=0.280). The presences of pars spondylolysis, disc space narrowing, and MCs were significantly higher in patients with grade 2 spondylolisthesis than those with grade 1 (94.4% vs 64.1%), (97.2% vs 83.5%), and (100% vs 83.5%), respectively (all p<0.05). Grade 2 spondylolisthesis patients had significantly higher proportion of type 2 MCs than patients with grade 1 (88.9% vs 63.1%) (p<0.05).
Conclusion: MCs are associated lumbar spondylolisthesis. The presence of spondylolisthesis may be a predisposing factor for MCs occurred in the lumbar spine. Prospective studies on the topic should be examined in more detail.
___
- 1. Li N, Scofield J, Mangham P, et al. Spondylolisthesis. Orthop Rev (Pavia). 2022;14:36917.
- 2. Alomari S, Judy B, Sacino AN, et al. Isthmic spondylolisthesis in adults... A review of the current literature. J Clin Neurosci. 2022;101:124-30.
- 3. He Y, Wang W, Zhou H, et al. Imaging analysis and predictive nomogram construction for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with severe clinical symptom based on propensity score matching. Sci Rep. 2023;13:4161.
- 4. Czaplewski LG, Rimmer O, McHale D, Laslett M. Modic changes as seen on MRI are associated with nonspecific chronic lower back pain and disability. J Orthop Surg Res. 2023;18:351.
- 5. Alpaycı M, Bulut MD, Yazmalar L, et al. The relationship between facet joint osteoarthritis and Modic changes of the lumbar spine: a retrospective magnetic resonance imaging study. Turk J Phys Med Rehab. 2016;62:308-13.
- 6. Albert HB, Kjaer P, Jensen TS, et al. Modic changes, possible causes and relation to low back pain. Med Hypotheses. 2008;70:361-8.
- 7. Bendersky D, Asem M, Navarrete O. Lumbar facet effusions and other degeneration parameters and its association with instability. Neurol India. 2022;70:S224-9.
- 8. Hayashi T, Daubs MD, Suzuki A, et al. Motion characteristics and related factors of Modic changes in the lumbar spine. J Neurosurg Spine. 2015;22:511-7.
- 9. Delen V, Alpayci M. Brucellosis in patients with inflammatory modic changes: results from cross-sectional and case–control comparisons. SN Compr Clin Med. 2022;4:238.
- 10. Mu X, Peng W, Ou Y, et al. Non-surgical therapy for the treatment of chronic low back pain in patients with Modic changes: a systematic review of the literature. Heliyon. 2022;8:e09658.
- 11. Issa TZ, Lambrechts MJ, Toci GR, et al. Evaluating nonoperative treatment for low back pain in the presence of modic changes: a systematic review. World Neurosurg. 2023;171:e108-19.
- 12. Koslosky E, Gendelberg D. Classification in brief: the meyerding classification system of spondylolisthesis. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2020;478:1125-30.
- 13. Xia W, Liu C, Duan S, et al. The influence of spinal-pelvic parameters on the prevalence of endplate Modic changes in degenerative thoracolumbar/lumbar kyphosis patients. PLoS One. 2018;13:e0197470.
- 14.Kalichman L, Hunter DJ. Lumbar facet joint osteoarthritis: a review. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2007;37:69-80.
- 15. Gellhorn AC, Katz JN, Suri P. Osteoarthritis of the spine: the facet joints. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2013;9:216-24.
- 16. Fine N, Lively S, Séguin CA, et al. Intervertebral disc degeneration and osteoarthritis: a common molecular disease spectrum. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2023;19:136-52.
- 17. Bråten LCH, Schistad EI, Espeland A, et al. Association of Modic change types and their short tau inversion recovery signals with clinical characteristics- a cross sectional study of chronic low back pain patients in the AIM-study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2020;21:368.
- 18. Dudli S, Fields AJ, Samartzis D, et al. Pathobiology of Modic changes. Eur Spine J. 2016;25:3723-34.