The Relationship between Neural Foraminal Stenosis and Imaging Features of Lumbar Spine MRI in Patients Older Than 60 Years with Lumbar Radiculopathy.

Purpose: To investigate the MRI features associated with neural foraminal stenosis (NFS) in patients older than 60 years with lumbar (L) radiculopathy.

Materials And Methods: This study included 133 retrospectively selected patients older than 60 years with lumbar radiculopathy who had undergone a lumbar spine MRI (from January 2018 to April 2018). For L4/L5 and L5/sacral (S)1 levels, NFS was reviewed blindly by two radiologists. Spondylolisthesis, retrolisthesis, disc height loss, disc bulging/herniation/central canal stenosis, ligamentum flavum thickening, and facet hypertrophy were evaluated separately for the NFS and non-NFS groups, and they were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: The univariate analysis revealed that disc height loss ( = 0.006) was associated with NFS for L4/L5. For L5/S1, both spondylolisthesis ( = 0.005) and facet hypertrophy ( = 0.006) were associated with NFS. The multivariate logistic analysis revealed that disc height loss was associated with NFS for L4/L5 [odds ratio (OR) = 4.272; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.736-10.514]. For L5/S1, spondylolisthesis (OR = 3.696; 95% CI 1.297-10.530) and facet hypertrophy (OR = 6.468; 95% CI 1.283-32.617) were associated with NFS.

Conclusion: Disc height loss was associated with NFS for L4/L5 and spondylJophy were associated with NFS for L5/S1.