Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 78, Issue 11 , Pages 1211-1214, November 1997

Facet tropism in lumbar motion segments and its significance in disc herniation☆

  • Hyun-Yoon Ko, MD

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests to Hyun-Yoon Ko, MD, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, 1-10 Ami-Dong, Suh-Ku, Pusan 602-739, South Korea.
    • ,
  • Byung Kyu Park, MD

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan, Korea

Received 10 January 1997; accepted 11 March 1997.

Article Outline

Abstract 

Objective and Design: To define facet tropism (FT) for each motion segment of the lower lumbar spine for subjects without disc herniation, and to evaluate the significance of facet tropism in disc herniation.

Methods: Sixty subjects were evaluated by measuring the facet angle (FA) of three lower lumbar motion segments with the use of computed tomography (CT) and a computer program. The subjects were divided into two groups: 33 without disc herniation and 27 with disc herniation at one or more levels of lower lumbar motion segments. The FA was defined as the angle of the facet and midsagittal lines. The difference between the right and left FAs at each motion segment was calculated. FT was defined as an angle difference larger than the mean and one standard deviation of the angle differences between the right and left FAs at each motion segment in the group without disc herniation.

Outcome Measurements: Statistical significance of the bilateral angle difference of each lower lumbar motion segment between the two groups was analyzed by the two-sample t test. Using the defined angle difference for FT, the incidence of FT in the two groups at each motion segment was analyzed by the Fisher's exact test.

Results: FT was defined for the 33 subjects without disc herniation on CT scans as an angle difference larger than 12° at L3–L4, 15° at L4–L5, and 12° at L5-S1, approximately. There was no statistical significance in the bilateral FA difference (p > .05) and incidence of FT (p > .05) at each segment between the two groups.

Conclusion: This study did not show that facet joint tropism plays a significant role in disc herniation in the lower lumbar spine.

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☆ No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.

PII: S0003-9993(97)90334-8

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 78, Issue 11 , Pages 1211-1214, November 1997

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