Abstract
Introduction Low back pain (LBP) is common in children and adolescents. There are many factors that cause LBP, including structural disorders, degenerative changes, Scheuermann's disease, fractures, inflammation, and tumors. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is the gold standard for diagnosing spinal abnormalities and is mandatory when neurological symptoms exist. The study focuses on common MRI findings in adolescents with persistent LBP, without history of acute trauma or evidence of either inflammatory or rheumatic disease. Materials and Methods Eleven adolescents were submitted to thoracic and/or lumbar spine MRI due to persistent LBP. The protocol consisted of T1 WI, T2 WI, and T2 WI with FS, in the axial, sagittal, and coronal plane. Results MRI revealed structural abnormalities (scoliosis and kyphosis) in 4/11 (36.36%); disc abnormalities and endplate changes were found on 11/11 (100%). Typical Scheuermann's disease was found in 3/11 (27.27%). Endplate changes were severe in Scheuermann's patients and mild to moderate in the remaining 8/11 (72.72%). Kyphosis was in all cases secondary to Scheuermann's disease. Disk bulges and hernias were found in 8/11 (72.72%), all located in the lumbar spine. Conclusion In adolescents with LBP, structural spinal disorders, degenerative changes, and Scheuermann's disease are commonly found on MRI; however, degenerative changes prevail.
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) is common in children and adolescents
We retrospectively reviewed 11 adolescent patients (6 male), age range 13–17 years, referred to Magnetic Resonance Imaging FS (MRI) due to persistent LBP
Disk hernias were all located at the L5-S1 space, one of which with an extruding component
Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is common in children and adolescents. There are many factors that cause LBP, including structural disorders, degenerative changes, Scheuermann’s disease, fractures, inflammation, and tumors. The study focuses on common MRI findings in adolescents with persistent LBP, without history of acute trauma or evidence of either inflammatory or rheumatic disease. Eleven adolescents were submitted to thoracic and/or lumbar spine MRI due to persistent LBP. MRI revealed structural abnormalities (scoliosis and kyphosis) in 4/11 (36.36%); disc abnormalities and endplate changes were found on 11/11 (100%). In adolescents with LBP, structural spinal disorders, degenerative changes, and Scheuermann’s disease are commonly found on MRI; degenerative changes prevail. MRI is the best method for the evaluation of the spine in the pediatric/adolescent population, due to its excellent tissue resolution, multiplanar capabilities, and lack of ionizing radiation.
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