The correlation between degree of multifidus muscle atrophy and severity in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis

Objective To investigate the correlation between degree of multifidus muscle atrophy and severity in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Methods A total of 103 patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis were retrospectively analyzed, including 22 male patients (21.4%) and 81 female patients (78.6%). There were 2 cases of L2 spondylolisthesis, 10 cases of L3 spondylolisthesis, 81 cases of L4 spondylolisthesis, and 10 cases of L5 spondylolisthesis. The average age was 58.55 ±0.88 years old. Each patient underwent lumbar lateral X-ray, and lumbar MRI, and the imaging data were collected. MRI images were obtained to measure and calculatethe ratio of the fat-free multifidus muscle cross sectional area to total multifidus muscle cross sectional area (LCSA/TCSA) in slipped segments and non-slipped segments. Lumbar lateral radiographs were obtained to measure and calculate slipped ratio. All data were analyzed by SPSS 23.0. Paired-samples T test was carried out to investigate whether there were LCSA/TCSA differences between in slipped segments and non-slipped segments. The correlation between LCSA/TCSA in slipped segments and slipped ratio was analyzed by using Pearson correlation coefficient system. P=0.000 was considered statistically significant. Results The degree of multifidus muscle atrophy (FCSA/TCSA) in the upper non-spondylolisthesis segments and the multifid muscle atrophy (FCSA/TCSA) in the degenerative spondylolisthesis segments (t=-12.618, P=0.000). there was significant difference between them. The degree of multifidus muscle atrophy (FCSA/TCSA) of degenerative spondylolisthesis was correlated with the spondylolisthesis ratio, and the correlation coefficient was -0.425. There was a high negative correlation between FCSA/TCSA ratio and spondylolisthesis ratio of degenerative spondylolisthesis. Conclusion The degree of multifidus muscle atrophy in degenerative spondylolisthesis is more serious than that in the upper non-spondylolisthesis segments, and there is a positive correlation between the degree of multifidus muscle atrophy in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis and the degree of lumbar spondylolisthesis in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients. Key words: Lumbar vertebrae; Spondylolysis; Muscular disorders, atrophic