Under normal circumstances, the L4-L5 segment is the one in the lumbar spine with the most movement. In degenerative spondylolisthesis, what usually happens is that ongoing degeneration weakens the facet joints and disc, and (typically) the L4 vertebral body slips forward on the L5 vertebral body. Degenerative spondylolisthesis usually occurs in people over 60 years of age. Osteoarthritis of the facet joints can also play an important role in the development of instability and slippage. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF SPONDYLOLISTHESIS? Spondylolisthesis can be classified by into five groups (Newman (1976)):ĭegenerative spondylolisthesis is very common, and occurs as a result of due to degeneration or wear and tear of the intervertebral discs and ligaments. What are the types of spondylolisthesis?.Lumbar Disc Nomenclature: Version 2.0: Recommendations of the Combined Task Forces of the North American Spine Society, the American Society of Spine Radiology and the American Society of Neuroradiology. Fardon D, Williams A, Dohring E, Murtagh F, Gabriel Rothman S, Sze G. Insights into the Etiopathogenesis of Spinal Degeneration.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings and Their Relationships in the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine. Videman T, Battié M, Gill K, Manninen H, Gibbons L, Fisher L. The Use of Flexion and Extension MR in the Evaluation of Cervical Spine Trauma: Initial Experience in 100 Trauma Patients Compared with 100 Normal Subjects. Giuliano V, Giuliano C, Pinto F, Scaglione M. Lumbar Disc Degeneration: Epidemiology and Genetic Influences. See: MRI classification system for lumbar disc degeneration. Nitrogen gas may be observed filling these defects as it is pulled from surrounding extracellular fluid, creating the vacuum cleft phenomenon. This makes the disc friable, precipitating fissures and progressive structural degradation. Within the nucleus pulposus, a loss of water-holding proteoglycans occurs, and within the annulus fibrosus type II collagen increases which reduce disc hydration as well. Generally, degenerative changes of the disc affect hydration and elasticity of the cartilaginous endplate, annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus, with changes most pronounced in the nucleus pulposus.

These changes, in turn, modify the ability of the intervertebral disc to sustain and transmit forces, and subsequently, compensate for these alterations (or not) in a variety of ways. Reduction in signal intensity of the discĭegenerative disc disease is related to a combination of biomechanical stresses and genetic predisposition which alter the metabolic and structural integrity of the intervertebral disc. Lumbar spineīelow is a list of conditions that are frequently considered degenerative in nature, and their reported incidence is given in both asymptomatic and symptomatic adult populations 1: Vertebral osteophytes, disc height loss, disc signal intensity loss, and disc bulging increase in frequency with age in a nearly linear fashion, but to different degrees, with disc signal loss and vertebral osteophytes increasing the most with age. Additionally, because degenerative disc disease encompasses such a wide variety of individually defined entities, it is hard to make broad statements about its incidence and related symptomatology. Wide variations exist in the reported prevalence of degenerative changes in the spine, likely related to differences in populations studied and variable definitions of what constitutes degenerative change. The terms 'degenerated disc' or 'disc degeneration' is preferred 4.

Degenerative disc disease is regarded as a non-standard term when used as an imaging description as it implies causality between degenerative change and symptoms.

Degenerative osseous changes