The importance of morphological and clinical classifications of lumbar spine stenosis in the preoperative planning
Abstract
Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the relations between subjective difficulties, clinical findings and the MRI in patients who have been operated for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), and the possibility of using these relations for surgical treatment decision. Methods: Patients operated for LSS in 2009-2010 were included in the study.
Subjective difficulties were assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the clinical symptoms with the modified Neurological Impairment Score for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (mNIS-LSS). We measured the spinal canal area, dural sac area, and nerve root sedimentation classification on MRI.
We tested the relations between these categories using the correlation analysis at significance level p < 0.05. Results: 61 patients with a median age of 67 were included.
Median ODI value was 48. Over all, we evaluated 162 spinal segments.
Cor relation coefficients for ODI, mNIS-LSS and graphical findings were less than 0.5. Cor relation coefficients greater than 0.5 were between all the MRI measurement methods.
Conclusions: In the group of patients indicated for surgery for symptomatic LSS, we did not found a statistically significant cor relation between subjective patient difficulties, neurological findings and MRI. Statistically significant cor relations are among the selected LSS measurement techniques for MRI.
For common use, the easiest of them is nerve root sedimentation classification according to Schizas.