Imaging changes in spinal-pelvic sagittal alignment in sitting and standing positions in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Spinal-pelvic sagittal alignment is important for the diagnosis and treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. However, the current study of the spine-pelvic sagittal alignment in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis is limited to the standing position. There is no relevant report on the spine-pelvic sagittal alignment under the sitting position. OBJECTIVE: To analyze imaging data of sitting-standing spine-pelvic sagittal alignment in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis, and to determine the sagittal alignment of spine change in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients from standing position to sitting position. METHODS: Totally 44 patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (12 males, 32 females; age, 50-84 years) were enrolled from Tianjin Hospital from March to September 2019. All patients took X-rays of the spine in standing and sitting positions. Through the hospital image archiving and communication system, spinal and pelvic parameters were measured, including pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt, sacral slope, lumbar lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, and sagittal vertical axis. The parameters were compared between standing posture and sitting posture. By using Pearson’s correlation test, differences of relationship between spinal and pelvic parameters in standing versus sitting position were discussed. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Hospital. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) When moving from standing to sitting position, in 44 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients, pelvic tilt increased [(21.3±10.1)°, (34.0±10.4)°, P 0.05). (2) Whether standing or sitting position, lumbar lordosis was correlated with other parameters (P 0.05), but lumbar lordosis was also correlated with sagittal vertical axis (P < 0.05). (3) When the degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients change from standing position to sitting position, the sagittal configuration of spine pelvis shows that the pelvis rotates back around the bilateral femoral heads; the pelvis shows a backward leaning state; the physiological curvature of lumbar spine becomes shallow; and the sagittal balance axis of spine moves forward.