Pedicle Morphometry Variations in Individuals with Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The aim of this study was to compare pedicle dimensions in degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) with those in the general population. A retrospective computerized tomography (CT) study for lumbar vertebrae (L1 to L5) from two sample populations was used. The first included 165 participants with symptomatic DLSS (age range: 40-88 years, sex ratio: 80 M/85 F), and the second had 180 individuals from the general population (age range: 40-99 years, sex ratio: 90 M/90 F). Both males and females in the stenosis group manifested significantly greater pedicle width than the control group at all lumbar levels (P < 0.05). In addition, pedicle heights for stenosis females were remarkably smaller on L4 and L5 levels compared to their counterparts in the control group (P < 0.001). Males have larger pedicles than females for all lumbar levels (P < 0.001). Age and BMI did not demonstrate significant association with pedicle dimensions. Our outcomes indicate that individuals with DLSS have larger pedicle widths than the control group. More so, pedicle dimensions are gender-dependent but independent of age and BMI.