Evaluation of standing and supine neutral and dynamic lumbosacral graphies for radiological instability

Introduction: In this study, pre-operative lumbar radiographies of 48 patients with the complaint of low back pain are evaluated at whom spondilolistezis and degenerative disc disease is determined after the consultancies at Neurosurgery Clinic of Akdeniz University, Medical Faculty. Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the amount and percentage of sliding at sagittal plane in lumbosacral graphs taken at the neutral positions of standing and supine postures with observations of radiographies taken at flexion and extension postures. Additionally, it is aimed to investigate the diagnostic property of lateral radiographies taken at standing in neutral position (for the exerted forces as a result of physical axial loading at lomber section) for the instability. Materials and Methods: In this study, the computations of sliding percentage, sliding amount at sagittal plane and average disc intervals at 51 graphs of lumber degenerative segments - taken at flexion, extension, standing and resting states- are performed. Throughout the computations, average values of measurements are determined by a single doctor executed twice. Moreover, statistical analysis is conducted by the utilisation of PASW Statistics Software. Results: It is observed that there is a statistically remarkable correlation between "differences in deflection percentage at lateral and neutral graphs taken at standing, supine postures" and" differences in sliding percentage at flexion and extension graphs". Therefore it is pointed out that only the standing of the patients results in significant movement at instable segment due to axial loading of lumbar vertebrae