Fat beyond muscle: Assessing epimuscular fat of the lumbar spine and its association with vertebral level, demographics, BMI, and low back pain.

Introduction: Epimuscular fat (EF) has rarely been studied in the context of low back pain (LBP).

Research Question: This study aims to assess the presence and extent of EF in the lumbar muscles and its association with vertebral level in patients with low back disorders and to explore correlations between EF, demographics, BMI, and LBP.

Material And Methods: T2 axial MRIs from L1 to L5 were manually segmented to analyze the cross-sectional area (CSA) of EF (mm), and fat infiltration (FI,%) of 40 patients (23 females, 17 males; mean age:65.