ArticleActa orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica2026
Facet tropism is not associated with lumbar spondylolysis: a computed tomography-based three-dimensional morphometric case-control study.
Article in Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveFacet tropism has been proposed as a morphologic modifier of posterior element loading, but prior evidence in lumbar spondylolysis is inconsistent and often based on 2D measurements. This study aimed to evaluate whether facet tropism differs between patients with lumbar spondylolysis and controls using a CT-based three-dimensional (3D) morphometric workflow with vertebra-anchored reference planes.
methodsThis retrospective case-control study included 39 individuals: 19 with CT-confirmed lumbar spondylolysis and 20 controls (age and sex comparable). Vertebrae L1-L5 were segmented, 3D surface models were generated, and best-fit planes were computed for each superior and inferior facet surface bilaterally. Facet orientation was quantified relative to sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes. Facet tropism (FT) was defined as the absolute right-left difference in facet angles for the same level and facet type; FT presence was descriptively defined as >5, while hypothesis testing used continuous FT values. Group comparisons were performed across L1-L5 and for prespecified lowerlumbar segment metrics (L4-L5 facet-plane mismatch and L5v intra-vertebral mismatch).
resultsSpondylolysis involved L5 in 18/19 patients (4 unilateral, 14 bilateral) and L4 in 1/19. Across L1-L5, facet tropism (FT) did not differ between groups for either superior or inferior facets in any plane (all p > .05). The greatest numerical difference was observed for L5 inferior FT on the sagittal plane (controls 10.38 } 9.40 vs. patients 7.51 } 10.93), but this comparison did not reach statistical significance (p = .092). Lower-lumbar segment-focused mismatch measures also showed no between-group differences (all p > .05). Frontal-plane and sagittal-plane angles showed strong positive correlations in both groups (controls: r = 0.811-0.998; patients: r = 0.851-0.995; all p < .05), whereas transverse-plane parameters showed no meaningful associations.
conclusionUsing CT-based 3D morphometry, no statistically significant association between facet tropism and lumbar spondylolysis was demonstrated in the present study population, and facet tropism did not discriminate cases from controls across lumbar levels or lowerlumbar segmental mismatch metrics. In this cohort, which was predominantly characterized by L5 involvement and frequent bilateral defects, side-to-side facet asymmetry did not appear to represent a major independent morphologic marker when measured with a standardized 3D framework. Cite this article as: Karatas ME, .a.an MA, Türkten İ, Pen.e KB, Şakul BU. Facet tropism is not associated with lumbar spondylolysis: a computed tomography- based three-dimensional morphometric case-control study. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc., 2026; 60(4), 1005, doi: 10.5152/j.aott.2026.261005.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.