Are Spinal or Paraspinal Anatomic Markers Helpful for Vertebra Numbering and Diagnosing Lumbosacral. Transitional. Vertebrae?

作者：Tokgoz Nil^*; Ucar Murat; Erdogan Aylin Billur; Kilic Koray; Ozcan Cahide

来源：Korean Journal of Radiology, 2014, 15(2): 258-266.

DOI：10.3348/kjr.2014.15.2.258

• Spine
• Lumbosacral vertebrae
• Transitional vertebrae
• MRI

Objective: To evaluate the value of spinal and paraspinal anatomic markers in both the diagnosis of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTVs) and identification of vertebral levels on lumbar MRI.
Materials and Methods: Lumbar MRI from 1049 adult patients were studied. By comparing with the whole-spine Localizer, the diagnostic errors in numbering vertebral segments on lumbar MRI were evaluated. The morphology of S1-2 disc, L5 and Si body, and lumbar spinous processes (SPs) were evaluated by using sagittal MRI. The positions of right renal artery (RRA), superior mesenteric artery, aortic bifurcation (AB) and conus medullaris (CM) were described.
Results: The diagnostic error for evaluation of vertebral segmentation on lumbar MRI alone was 14.1%. In lumbarization, all patients revealed a well-formed S1-2 disc with squared Si body. A rhombus-shaped L5 body in sacralization and a rectangular-shaped Si body in lumbarization were found. The L3 had the Longest SP. The most common sites of spinal and paraspinal structures were: RRA at L1 body (53.6%) and L1-2 disc (34.1%), superior mesenteric artery at L1 body (55.1%) and 112 L1 disc (31.6%), and AB at L4 body (71.1%). CM had variable locations, changing from the 112 L1 disc to L2 body. They were Located at higher sacralization and Lower Wmbarization.
Conclusion: The spinal morphologic features and Locations of the spinal and paraspinal structures on Lumbar MRI are not completely reliable for the diagnosis of LSTVs and identification on the vertebral Levels. Index terms: Spine; Lumbosacral vertebrae; Transitional vertebrae; MRI

• 出版日期2014-4