Correlations between the feature of sagittal spinopelvic alignment and facet joint degeneration: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Sagittal spinopelvic alignment changes associated with degenerative facet joint arthritis have been assessed in a few studies. It has been documented that patients with facet joint degeneration have higher pelvic incidence, but the relationship between facet joint degeneration and other sagittal spinopelvic alignment parameters is still disputed. Our purpose was to evaluate the correlation between the features of sagittal spinopelvic alignment and facet joint degeneration. METHODS: Imaging data of 140 individuals were retrospectively analysed. Lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic incidence (PI), sacral slope, and height of the lumbar intervertebral disc were measured on lumbar X-ray plates. Grades of facet joint degeneration were evaluated from the L2 to S1 on CT scans. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and Student’s t-test were used for statistical analyses, and a P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: PI was positively associated with degeneration of the facet joint at lower lumbar levels (p < 0.001 r = 0.50 at L5/S1 and P = 0.002 r = 0.25 at L4/5). A significant increase of PT was found in the severe degeneration group compared with the mild degeneration group: 22.0° vs 15.7°, P = 0.034 at L2/3;21.4°vs 15.1°, P = 0.006 at L3/4; 21.0° vs 13.5°, P = 0.000 at L4/5; 20.8° vs 12.1°, P = 0.000 at L5/S1. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that a high PI is a predisposing factor for facet joint degeneration at the lower lumbar spine, and that severe facet joint degeneration may accompany with greater PT at lumbar spine. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-016-1193-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.