Department of Orthopedics, The Affiliated People's Hospital with Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China (mainland).
Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (mainland).
Med Sci Monit. 2019 Oct 21;25:7882-7888. doi: 10.12659/MSM.915136.
BACKGROUND Because facet joints move with the disc, changes in vertebral bodies occur simultaneously with progression of degeneration of cervical facet joints. This study investigated age-related differences in cervical facet joint abnormalities and multi-dimensional characteristics of MCs in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-five patients underwent both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of the cervical spine. Axial and sagittal parameter changes from C3 to C7, including facet orientation (FO) and facet tropism (FT), and Modic changes (MCs), were evaluated and documented preoperatively, and we also measured the heights and diameters of MCs and performed correlation analysis and established linear regression models. RESULTS The axial facet orientation increased slightly from C3 66.5 (11.4) to C7 89.9 (19). The sagittal facet orientation and facet tropism increased between C3-C4 and C6-C7, but it decreased between C4 to C6. The MCs volume decreased from C3 to C4 and increased from C4 to C7. There was a gradual decrease of FO and FT from C3 to C5 and a gradual increase of these 2 angles from C5 to C7 in all age groups. The lowest values of FO and FT were detected at C5, while the highest values of FO and FT were detected at C7. CONCLUSIONS Age was negatively correlated with the axial, sagittal, and coronal cervical facet orientation, especially at C4/5 level. The FT with respect to the axial and sagittal plane from C5 to C6 increased with age.
由于小关节随椎间盘一起运动，因此颈椎小关节退变的进展会同时导致椎体发生变化。本研究旨在探讨颈椎脊髓病患者颈椎小关节异常与多维度骨髓信号改变（MCs）的年龄相关性差异。
45 例患者均接受颈椎 MRI 和 CT 检查。评估并记录术前 C3 至 C7 的轴向和矢状面参数变化，包括小关节方向（FO）和小关节斜度（FT）以及 Modic 改变（MCs），还测量了 MCs 的高度和直径，并进行了相关性分析和建立线性回归模型。
轴向小关节方向从 C3 的 66.5°（11.4°）略微增加到 C7 的 89.9°（19°）。C3-C4 和 C6-C7 之间的矢状面小关节方向和小关节斜度增加，但 C4-C6 之间的小关节斜度减小。MCs 体积从 C3 到 C4 减小，从 C4 到 C7 增加。在所有年龄段中，FO 和 FT 从 C3 到 C5 逐渐减小，从 C5 到 C7 逐渐增加。FO 和 FT 的最低值出现在 C5，而 FO 和 FT 的最高值出现在 C7。
年龄与颈椎轴向、矢状和冠状小关节方向呈负相关，尤其是在 C4/5 水平。从 C5 到 C6，轴向和矢状平面上的 FT 随年龄增长而增加。
