On the relationship of spina bifida occulta and spinal degenerative joint disease based on skeletal remains from Dabr󷫩, Podlaskie Province, Poland.

Sacral spina bifida occulta rare occurrence in Byzantine Belentepe population in Muğla, Turkey: A possible case for adequate folic acid intake.

Prevalence of sacral spina bifida occulta with lumbosacral transitional vertebra in a skeletal collection of a South African population

The aim of this analized is to evaluate the frequency of osteoarthritis in the early modern population of Dąbrówki (Poland). Evaluation of degenerative joint changes was based on standard methods commonly used in physical anthropology. Three types of changes were studied: osteophytes, porosities, and eburnations. They were analyzed in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and proximal ankle joints. Osteoarthritic changes were assessed in 24 female, 20 male, and 8 undetermined sex individuals in the Dąbrówki population. In the population from Dąbrówki the highest frequency of degenerative changes was noted in the hip joint, and the lowest in the knee joint. Osteophytes were the predominant type of lesions. The less frequent type was porosity, while polishing of the articular surfaces did not occur. In males, degenerative changes were noted more frequently than in females. Due to the existence of many interpretative limitations (there is no a complete picture of the population from Dąbrówki - skeletal material under exploration; not entirely clear and multifactorial etiology of degenerative joint changes), further analysis of the markers of environmental stress in the population from Dąbrówki is necessary.

Percutaneous Aspiration of Lumbar Facet Synovial Cyst

Degenerative changes in the appendicular joints of ancient human populations from the Japan Islands

We examined whether the existence of spina bifida occulta or ultrasonographic bladder abnormalities was related to the outcome of treatment for primary nocturnal enuresis in children. Between April 1996 and September 2005, a total of 77 subjects (53 boys and 24 girls, aged 5-18 years; mean age, 9.9 years) with primary nocturnal enuresis were studied. Plain X-ray films of the spine and ultrasonographic bladder measurements (bladder wall thickness, bladder neck descent and bladder neck opening) were obtained and the correlations with the outcome of treatment using imipramine hydrochloride were assessed. On plain X-ray films of the spine, spina bifida occulta (lumbar vertebrae in three, lumbosacral vertebrae in 19 and sacral vertebrae in 31) was recognized in 53 children (69%). Ultrasonographic bladder abnormalities were recognized in 40 children (52%). Children with lumbar and lumbosacral spina bifida occulta showed a higher rate of concomitant ultrasonographic bladder abnormalities (P = 0.006) and had a poorer response to treatment (P = 0.041) compared with the children who had sacral spina bifida occulta. Children with ultrasonographic bladder abnormalities had a worse response to treatment (P = 0.005) compared to the children without bladder abnormalities. The presence of lumbar spina bifida occulta and ultrasonographic bladder abnormalities was related to the outcome of treatment for primary nocturnal enuresis in children, suggesting that spinal radiography and vesical ultrasonography may be useful predictive tests.

OPINION as to the clinical importance of lumbar and sacral spina bifida occulta are various and contradictory. Pybus (1) considers this the mildest form of spina bifida, and that it is usually symptomless. West (2), in his work in the Army, thinks that in the ordinary routine case of incontinence of urine in the adult, the condition of spina bifida occulta should be ignored, while Peritz (3) states that 68 per cent of adults and 55 per cent of children with enuresis have spina bifida occulta. Wheeler (4), in one thousand X-ray films of the lumbar region in white adults, found imperfect closure of the posterior vertebral arches in the last lumbar present in 2.3 per cent. Roederer and Lagrot (5) found the deformity of the first sacral posterior lamina in 9.9 per cent of one hundred cases in adults, and determined that one-third of one thousand instances where the bones were examined showed lumbosacral spina bifida occulta, and in one-fifth of this thousand cases it was the first sacral which was involved. S...

Degenerative changes of the spine in people of the Okhotsk culture were investigated in adult human skeletal remains from 38 males and 34 females. These findings were then compared with those in materials obtained from the medieval Kamakura period and early-modern peasants on Kumejima, Ryukyu Islands. The three samples clearly showed different patterns. In the Okhotsk series, the cervical spine of each sex had most osteophytes on the vertebral body, while the Kumejima samples had the highest frequency on the lumbar vertebrae. In the Kamakura series, males were most affected on the lower thoracic vertebrae. Moreover, severe osteophytes on the body of the lumbar vertebrae were more frequently seen in the Okhotsk males. Degenerative changes of the articular process of the Okhotsk series were most frequently seen in the lumbar vertebrae and least frequently seen in the cervical vertebrae. This is well contrasted with a high frequency of degenerative changes of cervical apophyseal joint in early-modern Kumejima peasants. The Kamakura series of each sex had generally low frequencies. Severe degenerative changes of apophyseal joint dominantly affected the Okhotsk series. It is inferred that different dynamic loads caused a high frequency of degenerative changes in the corresponding articular parts. For example, because the Okhotsk culture developed a considerable maritime infrastructure, the lifestyle required for sea-mammal hunting and fishing seems to have particularly affected the incidence of severe degenerative changes of the lumbar vertebrae.

Radiologic analysis using computed tomography. To analyze the degenerative changes of the facet joints in patients with spondylolysis in comparison with control subjects. Defects of the pars interarticularis are thought to result in a reduction of biomechanical stress on adjacent facet joints. Therefore, degenerative changes of the facet joints in patients with spondylolysis are expected to be less than those in patients without spondylolysis. Abdominal and pelvic multidetector computed tomography scans of 2000 subjects, performed for conditions unrelated to low back pain, were reviewed. A total of 107 patients (37 women and 70 men) with L5 spondylolysis were identified [spondylolysis (+) group]. Sex-matched and age-matched controls without spondylolysis were chosen randomly [spondylolysis (-) group]. Subjects in the spondylolysis group were subdivided into either bilateral spondylolysis or unilateral spondylolysis groups for comparison with the control group. Four radiologic findings (narrowing, sclerosis, osteophyte, and bone cyst) indicative of degenerative change of the facet joints adjacent to the L5 pars defects were evaluated and the degree of degenerative change was graded by summing the number of degenerative changes (score range, 0-4). The χ test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Significantly more degenerative changes in both L4/L5 and L5/S facet joints were found in the spondylolysis (+) group than in the spondylolysis (-) group (χ test, P <0.05). Degenerative changes of the facet joints at both L4/L5 and L5/S were more severe in the bilateral spondylolysis (+) group than in the spondylolysis (-) group. Degenerative changes of the facet joints at both L4/L5 and L5/S were more severe in the unilateral spondylolysis (+) group than in the spondylolysis (-) group. Degenerative changes of the facet joints in patients with lumbar spondylolysis were more severe than those without spondylolysis.

Development of an equine carpal groove model to study early changes in osteoarthritis - a pilot study

Spina bifida occulta of the sacrum is the most common type of spinal deformity. Many authors have published data on the frequency of spina bifida occulta, with varying results. Some possible reasons for this variability could include the differing methods used to gather data and differing ways of classifying the condition. This study attempts to develop an X-ray method to study sacral spina bifida occulta in a standardized fashion, using an angulated antero-posterior technique. This technique is then used to estimate the frequency of sacral spina bifida occulta in an Australian sample. The sacra of 53 cadavers were X-rayed and the level of closure of the sacral spinal canal recorded. The X-ray technique was validated by open dissection of six of the cadavers studied and was shown to be accurate to half a sacral segment. No sacra with a completely open sacral canal were found, two sacra (4%) were open from S2 down to S5 and ten sacra (19%) were open from S3 down to S5. The most common condition (43%) recorded was where S4 and S5 only were open. Eighteen cadavers (34%) showed only S5 open, and interestingly, no sacra were recorded as having the dorsal sacral arch completely closed. A study of a larger sample will follow using the validated X-ray technique.

Endplate and Facet Joint Changes in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

BackgroundDegenerative spine disease is one of the largest causes of disability worldwide and has a multifactorial aetiology. Determining the leading causes of this multifactorial disease could help create new treatment approaches.PurposeStudy the impact of degenerative changes in the paraspinal muscles caused by local (prolonged compression) or systemic (high-fat diet) factors on the structure of the intervertebral discs (IVDs) and facet joints of the lumbar spine in rats.MethodsThe study was conducted using two animal models to create degenerative changes in the paraspinal muscles of 10 white laboratory rats for 90 days and five control rats: 1) high-fat diet model (model 1) involved keeping the rats on a high calorie diet; 2) compression model (model 2) involved binding the paraspinal muscles from L2 to S1 using non-absorbable sutures. Histological analysis for the facet joints and IVDs of rats (at the L1–L4 level) with semi-quantitative analysis of the structure conducted used by degeneration grading system for IVDs and cartilage degeneration score (OARSI) for facet joint.ResultsIn both models, 90 days after the experiment, the degenerative changes observed in the rats’ IVDs were more severe in the annulus fibrosus than in the nucleus pulposus. The height of the IVD in model 1 did not differ from the control group, but in the model 2 was 1.3 times greater (p < 0.001) compared with control. Degenerative changes in the IVD were scored out 5.3 ± 1.7 in model 1 and 5.32 ± 2.1 in model 2 of a possible 16. The height of the articular cartilage of the facet joints was smaller by 1.5 times (p < 0.001) and 1.4 times (p < 0.001) in model 1 and model 2, respectively, compared to the control. Degenerative changes of facet joint were scored out 3.7 ± 0.6 in model 1 and 3.8 ± 0.6 in model 2 of five points according to the cartilage degeneration score.ConclusionsIt was determined that rats who had structural changes in the lumbar paraspinal muscles as a result of being kept on a high-fat diet or subjected to prolonged compression for 90 days, showed degenerative changes in intervertebral discs and osteoarthritis in facet joints of lumbar spine.

In this report, we present two cases of 9-year-old children with spina bifida occulta (SBO) of the sacrum, who were diagnosed with sacral fatigue fractures. In both patients, MRI showed a linear signal void and high signal in sacral ala on the short tau inversion recovery sequence. Sacral SBO at the same level of the sacral fracture was observed in each patient on computed tomography images. These lesions healed with rest. This is the first literature reporting cases with sacral stress fractures who had SBO at the same level of fracture.

This report illustrates a case of cervical myelopathy caused by degenerative changes of the facet joints in which calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals were found histologically. To evaluate the treatment of this patient, which involved the principles of laminoplasty and posterolateral fusion, and to analyze surgical specimens and preoperative radiographs taken after the patient's surgery. Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition occurs in cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules. Radiographic changes of the cervical facet joints caused by such deposition have already been reported in cadaveric studies. Cases with neurologic compromise rarely occur. Surgical specimens that were obtained from the cervical facet joints, i.e., capsule and synovium, were analyzed histopathologically. The preoperative radiographic study showed severe degenerative changes of the cervical facet joints, and analysis of the surgical specimens indicated the presence of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals. The cervical facet joints can be involved in calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition and this involvement may accelerate the degenerative changes of the facet joints.