INTRODUCTION: Assuming that spinal shape is a genetic expression, its analysis and acquired factors could assess their respective contribution to early spine deterioration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A geometric morphometric analysis was retrospectively performed on sagittal lumbar MRI of young patients with back pain to identify lumbar spine shape changes. Using Geometric Morphometrics, findings were analyzed with anthropometric, radiological, and clinical variables. RESULTS: 80 cases under 26 years of age were collected, 55 men (mean age 22.81) and 25 women (mean age 23.24). MRI abnormalities were reported in 57.5%: single altered disc (N=17), root compromises (N=8), and transition anomalies (35%).In the non-normal MRI subgroup, shape variation included: increased lordosis, enlarged vertebral body, canal stenosis, and lumbarization of S1. In non-Spanish origin patients, lumbar straightening and segmental deformities were prevalent. Morphometrics findings showed that lumbosacral transition anomalies are frequently underreported. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic factors could be the main determinants of abnormality in MRIs under 26 years. The primary markers are transitional abnormalities, segmental deformities, and canal stenosis. In foreign populations, shape changes could suggest spine overload at an early age.
INTRODUCTION: Assuming that spinal shape is a genetic expression, its analysis and acquired factors could assess their respective contribution to early spine deterioration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A geometric morphometric analysis was retrospectively performed on sagittal lumbar MRI of young patients with back pain to identify lumbar spine shape changes. Using Geometric Morphometrics, findings were analyzed with anthropometric, radiological, and clinical variables. RESULTS: 80 cases under 26 years of age were collected, 55 men (mean age 22.81) and 25 women (mean age 23.24). MRI abnormalities were reported in 57.5%: single altered disc (N=17), root compromises (N=8), and transition anomalies (35%).In the non-normal MRI subgroup, shape variation included: increased lordosis, enlarged vertebral body, canal stenosis, and lumbarization of S1. In non-Spanish origin patients, lumbar straightening and segmental deformities were prevalent. Morphometrics findings showed that lumbosacral transition anomalies are frequently underreported. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic factors could be the main determinants of abnormality in MRIs under 26 years. The primary markers are transitional abnormalities, segmental deformities, and canal stenosis. In foreign populations, shape changes could suggest spine overload at an early age.
Authors: Janina S Ried; Janina Jeff M; Audrey Y Chu; Jennifer L Bragg-Gresham; Jenny van Dongen; Jennifer E Huffman; Tarunveer S Ahluwalia; Gemma Cadby; Niina Eklund; Joel Eriksson; Tõnu Esko; Mary F Feitosa; Anuj Goel; Mathias Gorski; Caroline Hayward; Nancy L Heard-Costa; Anne U Jackson; Eero Jokinen; Stavroula Kanoni; Kati Kristiansson; Zoltán Kutalik; Jari Lahti; Jian'an Luan; Reedik Mägi; Anubha Mahajan; Massimo Mangino; Carolina Medina-Gomez; Keri L Monda; Ilja M Nolte; Louis Pérusse; Inga Prokopenko; Lu Qi; Lynda M Rose; Erika Salvi; Megan T Smith; Harold Snieder; Alena Stančáková; Yun Ju Sung; Ioanna Tachmazidou; Alexander Teumer; Gudmar Thorleifsson; Pim van der Harst; Ryan W Walker; Sophie R Wang; Sarah H Wild; Sara M Willems; Andrew Wong; Weihua Zhang; Eva Albrecht; Alexessander Couto Alves; Stephan J L Bakker; Cristina Barlassina; Traci M Bartz; John Beilby; Claire Bellis; Richard N Bergman; Sven Bergmann; John Blangero; Matthias Blüher; Eric Boerwinkle; Lori L Bonnycastle; Stefan R Bornstein; Marcel Bruinenberg; Harry Campbell; Yii-Der Ida Chen; Charleston W K Chiang; Peter S Chines; Francis S Collins; Fracensco Cucca; L Adrienne Cupples; Francesca D'Avila; Eco J C de Geus; George Dedoussis; Maria Dimitriou; Angela Döring; Johan G Eriksson; Aliki-Eleni Farmaki; Martin Farrall; Teresa Ferreira; Krista Fischer; Nita G Forouhi; Nele Friedrich; Anette Prior Gjesing; Nicola Glorioso; Mariaelisa Graff; Harald Grallert; Niels Grarup; Jürgen Gräßler; Jagvir Grewal; Anders Hamsten; Marie Neergaard Harder; Catharina A Hartman; Maija Hassinen; Nicholas Hastie; Andrew Tym Hattersley; Aki S Havulinna; Markku Heliövaara; Hans Hillege; Albert Hofman; Oddgeir Holmen; Georg Homuth; Jouke-Jan Hottenga; Jennie Hui; Lise Lotte Husemoen; Pirro G Hysi; Aaron Isaacs; Till Ittermann; Shapour Jalilzadeh; Alan L James; Torben Jørgensen; Pekka Jousilahti; Antti Jula; Johanne Marie Justesen; Anne E Justice; Mika Kähönen; Maria Karaleftheri; Kay Tee Khaw; Sirkka M Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi; Leena Kinnunen; Paul B Knekt; Heikki A Koistinen; Ivana Kolcic; Ishminder K Kooner; Seppo Koskinen; Peter Kovacs; Theodosios Kyriakou; Tomi Laitinen; Claudia Langenberg; Alexandra M Lewin; Peter Lichtner; Cecilia M Lindgren; Jaana Lindström; Allan Linneberg; Roberto Lorbeer; Mattias Lorentzon; Robert Luben; Valeriya Lyssenko; Satu Männistö; Paolo Manunta; Irene Mateo Leach; Wendy L McArdle; Barbara Mcknight; Karen L Mohlke; Evelin Mihailov; Lili Milani; Rebecca Mills; May E Montasser; Andrew P Morris; Gabriele Müller; Arthur W Musk; Narisu Narisu; Ken K Ong; Ben A Oostra; Clive Osmond; Aarno Palotie; James S Pankow; Lavinia Paternoster; Brenda W Penninx; Irene Pichler; Maria G Pilia; Ozren Polašek; Peter P Pramstaller; Olli T Raitakari; Tuomo Rankinen; D C Rao; Nigel W Rayner; Rasmus Ribel-Madsen; Treva K Rice; Marcus Richards; Paul M Ridker; Fernando Rivadeneira; Kathy A Ryan; Serena Sanna; Mark A Sarzynski; Salome Scholtens; Robert A Scott; Sylvain Sebert; Lorraine Southam; Thomas Hempel Sparsø; Valgerdur Steinthorsdottir; Kathleen Stirrups; Ronald P Stolk; Konstantin Strauch; Heather M Stringham; Morris A Swertz; Amy J Swift; Anke Tönjes; Emmanouil Tsafantakis; Peter J van der Most; Jana V Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk; Liesbeth Vandenput; Erkki Vartiainen; Cristina Venturini; Niek Verweij; Jorma S Viikari; Veronique Vitart; Marie-Claude Vohl; Judith M Vonk; Gérard Waeber; Elisabeth Widén; Gonneke Willemsen; Tom Wilsgaard; Thomas W Winkler; Alan F Wright; Laura M Yerges-Armstrong; Jing Hua Zhao; M Carola Zillikens; Dorret I Boomsma; Claude Bouchard; John C Chambers; Daniel I Chasman; Daniele Cusi; Ron T Gansevoort; Christian Gieger; Torben Hansen; Andrew A Hicks; Frank Hu; Kristian Hveem; Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin; Eero Kajantie; Jaspal S Kooner; Diana Kuh; Johanna Kuusisto; Markku Laakso; Timo A Lakka; Terho Lehtimäki; Andres Metspalu; Inger Njølstad; Claes Ohlsson; Albertine J Oldehinkel; Lyle J Palmer; Oluf Pedersen; Markus Perola; Annette Peters; Bruce M Psaty; Hannu Puolijoki; Rainer Rauramaa; Igor Rudan; Veikko Salomaa; Peter E H Schwarz; Alan R Shudiner; Jan H Smit; Thorkild I A Sørensen; Timothy D Spector; Kari Stefansson; Michael Stumvoll; Angelo Tremblay; Jaakko Tuomilehto; André G Uitterlinden; Matti Uusitupa; Uwe Völker; Peter Vollenweider; Nicholas J Wareham; Hugh Watkins; James F Wilson; Eleftheria Zeggini; Goncalo R Abecasis; Michael Boehnke; Ingrid B Borecki; Panos Deloukas; Cornelia M van Duijn; Caroline Fox; Leif C Groop; Iris M Heid; David J Hunter; Robert C Kaplan; Mark I McCarthy; Kari E North; Jeffrey R O'Connell; David Schlessinger; Unnur Thorsteinsdottir; David P Strachan; Timothy Frayling; Joel N Hirschhorn; Martina Müller-Nurasyid; Ruth J F Loos Journal: Nat Commun Date: 2016-11-23 Impact factor: 14.919