Department of Radiology, Baskent University Medical School, Adana, Turkey.
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Jul 15;36(16):E1093-7. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e318203e2b5.
Ligamentum flavum (LF) thickness was measured by using lumbar magnetic resonance imaging in patients with low back or leg pain.
This study investigated whether LF thickening is due to hypertrophy or buckling related to disc degeneration and examined the correlations between the thickness of the LF and age, sex, body mass index (BMI), degree of pain, lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), and disc herniation.
"LF thickness" and "LF hypertrophy" are used interchangeably in the literature, although they are not necessarily the same thing. Thickness may increase by buckling without a change in the mass of the LF, and whether LF thickening is due to tissue hypertrophy or buckling remains controversial.
The thickness of 896 LFs at the L2-L3, L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 levels of 224 (mean age, 47.8 ± 16.7 yrs) patients was measured prospectively on axial T1-weighed magnetic resonance images, obtained at the facet joint level. The presence of disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, and disc herniation was evaluated.
At all of the levels investigated, LF thickness was significantly greater in patients with grades IV to V degeneration compared with the patients with grades I to III degeneration (P < 0.05). LF thickness at all levels increased significantly with age (P < 0.05). Sex and the degree of pain were not correlated with the thickness of the LF. Patients with a BMI of 25 kg/m or greater had the thickest LF at the L3-L4 level (P < 0.01). LF thickness was significantly greater at the L2-L3, L3-L4, and L4-L5 levels in subjects with LSS and significantly greater at all levels in subjects with disc herniation (P < 0.05).
Thickening of the LF is correlated with disc degeneration, aging, BMI, LSS, spinal level, and disc herniation. The authors concluded that thickening of the LF is due to buckling of the LF into the spinal canal secondary to disc degeneration more than to LF hypertrophy. Sex and the degree of pain were not correlated with the thickness of the LF.
通过腰椎磁共振成像测量患有下腰痛或腿痛的患者的黄韧带（LF）厚度。
本研究旨在探讨 LF 增厚是否是由于与椎间盘退变相关的肥大或卷曲引起的，并检查 LF 厚度与年龄、性别、体重指数（BMI）、疼痛程度、腰椎管狭窄症（LSS）和椎间盘突出之间的相关性。
“LF 厚度”和“LF 肥大”在文献中交替使用，尽管它们不一定是同一回事。厚度可能会因 LF 的卷曲而增加，而 LF 的质量不变，并且 LF 增厚是否是由于组织肥大还是卷曲仍然存在争议。
前瞻性地测量了 224 名患者（平均年龄为 47.8±16.7 岁）在 L2-L3、L3-L4、L4-L5 和 L5-S1 水平的 896 个 LF 的厚度，这些患者的轴向 T1 加权磁共振图像是在关节突关节水平获得的。评估了椎间盘退变、椎管狭窄和椎间盘突出的存在情况。
在所有研究的水平上，IV 级到 V 级退变的患者的 LF 厚度明显大于 I 级到 III 级退变的患者（P<0.05）。所有水平的 LF 厚度均随年龄的增长而显著增加（P<0.05）。性别和疼痛程度与 LF 的厚度无关。BMI 为 25kg/m 或更高的患者在 L3-L4 水平的 LF 最厚（P<0.01）。LSS 患者的 L2-L3、L3-L4 和 L4-L5 水平的 LF 厚度显著增加，所有水平的椎间盘突出症患者的 LF 厚度均显著增加（P<0.05）。
LF 的增厚与椎间盘退变、衰老、BMI、LSS、脊柱水平和椎间盘突出有关。作者得出结论，LF 的增厚是由于椎间盘退变导致 LF 向椎管卷曲引起的，而不是由于 LF 肥大引起的。性别和疼痛程度与 LF 的厚度无关。
