ArticleFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology2025
Degenerative relationships in lumbar intervertebral discs and facet joints: an MRI-based comparative study of asymptomatic individuals and patients with chronic and intermittent low back pain.
Article in Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- AI-driven tissue discrimination sensing methods for robot-assisted spine surgery: a state-of-the-art review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- Stand-Alone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion at L3-L4 with 3D-Printed Porous Titanium Cages: A Safe and Effective Alternative in the Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD).Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
Degeneration of intervertebral discs and facet joints are common conditions that are thought to be interrelated. This study aimed to investigate the morphological interplay between disc and facet degeneration, as well as relationships between adjacent discs and facets. This prospective study involved 712 participants (307 males, 405 females) categorized into three groups: no back pain (no-BP), intermittent (iLBP), and chronic low back pain (cLBP). The Pfirrmann classification was used to assess intervertebral disc degeneration of index and adjacent segments, while the Fujiwara classification evaluated facet joint degeneration. Spearman's correlation coefficient analyzed relationships between degenerative changes in discs and facets. Overall, from the 712 participants 254 were with no-BP, 159 with intermittent LBP, and 299 with chronic LBP. The severity of both intervertebral disc and facet joint degeneration in the MRI sequences increased from upper to lower segments, with a significant clear directionality in differences between the uppermost and lowermost levels (p < 0.01). A strong positive correlation was observed between degenerative changes of adjacent intervertebral discs, especially in the upper and middle lumbar spine (ρ > 0.69). However, correlations between intervertebral disc and facet joint degeneration were weak in all populations studied (ρ < 0.31). The data indicate a directionality in the disease progression, with a strong correlation observed between adjacent intervertebral discs, suggesting a concurrent degenerative process. In contrast, the weak correlations between disc and facet joint degeneration imply that these structures undergo independent degenerative processes, particularly in the early stages of degeneration. Further research is essential to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and to develop precise therapeutic interventions for lumbar spine degeneration.
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