Dynamic Radiographs Not Always Essential in Diagnosis of Lumbar Spinal Instability

Ping Yen Yeo,Aravind Kumar

doi:10.4172/2165-7939.s7-017

Abstract

Dynamic Radiographs Not Always Essential in Diagnosis of Lumbar Spinal Instability

Highlights

Lumbar spinal instability is a common cause of lower back and/or leg pain [1,2]
Posner criteria when applied to spontaneous reduction seen on magnetic resonance imaging has a specificity of 90% and positive predictive value of 90.63%, assuming that satisfaction of Posner criteria on dynamic radiographs indicates true instability
The authors advocate the use of Posner criteria applied to spontaneous reduction to assess for spinal instability

Summary

Introduction

Lumbar spinal instability is a common cause of lower back and/or leg pain [1,2]. This condition is of significant clinical importance as its presence in patients with lower back and/or leg pain serves as a criterion for spinal fusion over mere decompression [3-8]. Dupuis et al suggested a method to establish radiological instability with the use of standing dynamic radiographs [11], measuring translation as a forward or backward displacement of a vertebral body with respect to the vertebral body immediately inferior to it and angulation as the angle measured at the vertebral end plates of the two adjacent vertebrae (Figure 1). This method has been used over the years by different authors who have come up with different thresholds [12-14] to diagnose radiological instability

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion