Anatomy of mamillo-accessory foramen and prevalence of ossified mamillo-accessory ligament in lumbar vertebrae related to age.

PURPOSE: Ossification of the mamillo-accessory ligament (MAL) results in the formation of a mamillo-accessory foramen (MAF), which is associated with aging. The MAL tethers the medial branches of the lumbar dorsal rami to the lumbar vertebrae. A MAL ossified at the lumbar vertebrae can cause low back pain by compressing the medial branch of a dorsal ramus. Age ranges related to ossification of the MAL have not been reported in previous studies. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of ossification of the MAL in the lumbar column and its relationship to aging, and to measure the newly formed MAF at each level of the lumbar vertebrae. METHODS: This study examined 935 dried lumbar vertebrae from 187 donors at Khon Kaen University, Thailand, consisting of 93 females and 94 males. The research focused on ossification patterns of the MAL, categorizing them into three patterns. RESULTS: We found that over 50% of ossified MAL occurred in the 30-45-year-old range and the frequency increased with age. The prevalence of ossified lumbar MAL was 72.73%, especially in L5 on the left side in females (76.92%). The width of the MAF did not differ significantly between the sexes, but it was greater on the left side (2.46 ± 1.08; n = 76) than the right (2.05 ± 0.95; n = 72) (p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Ossification of the MAL into the MAF progresses with age, leading to low back pain from nerve compression. Physicians should be aware of the MAF during anesthesia block to treat low back pain.

Ossification of the mamillo-accessory ligament: a review of the literature and clinical considerations.

Ossification of the mamillo-accessory ligament (MAL) is a misunderstood phenomenon; however, many have posited that it can result in nerve entrapment of the medial branch of the dorsal ramus causing zygapophyseal joint related low back pain. The MAL has been studied anatomically by few, yet the data indicate possible associations between ossification of this ligament and spondylosis. It has been proposed that mechanical stress upon the lumbar spine may also lead to progressive ossification of the MAL into a bony foramen.

Ossification of the mamillo-accessory ligament: a review of the literature and clinical considerations / 대한해부학회지

Ossification of the mamillo-accessory ligament (MAL) is a misunderstood phenomenon; however, many have posited that it can result in nerve entrapment of the medial branch of the dorsal ramus causing zygapophyseal joint related low back pain. The MAL has been studied anatomically by few, yet the data indicate possible associations between ossification of this ligament and spondylosis. It has been proposed that mechanical stress upon the lumbar spine may also lead to progressive ossification of the MAL into a bony foramen.

Mamillo-accessory notch and foramen: distribution patterns and correlation with superior lumbar facet structure.

The mamillary (MP) and the accessory (AP) processes are two important anatomical landmarks in the lumbar vertebral morphology. These two processes form the mamillo-accessory notch (MAN) between them. In the living, the MP and the AP are connected together by the mamillo-accessory ligament (MAL). The medial branches of lumbar dorsal rami pass underneath the MAL. The MAL often undergoes varied degrees of ossification with diverse notching at the junction of these two processes, often with formation of a discrete foramen (MAF). Reports on the distribution of these notches (MAN) and foramina (MAF) are very few and most of them do not discuss such ossification in context of morphology of adjoining structures in the vertebrae. Lumbar vertebral and sacral specimens were screened for three different categories of narrowing at the mamillo-accessory junction: firstly >1/2 notch, secondly ¾ notch, and thirdly MAF and their distribution patterns were mapped along the lumbar spine. Transverse dimensions of superior facet articulating surfaces [length (a)] and widths of MPs [length (b)] were recorded. Relative widths of the MPs were calculated as index M (a/b). Results suggest associations between the degrees of assimilation of the MPs into the facet joints, the index M values, and the different types of mamillo-accessory junctional anatomy. This study may help to understand if MAN and MAF related dorsal rami entrapment neuropathies arise merely due to osteoarthritic ossification of the MAL or could also be accounted for by facet dimensions or degree of MP-facet fusions that abut close to the mamillo-accessory junctions.