Radiological measurements of lumbar vertebral body dimensions among adult population in Eastern Ethiopia:

A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Lumbar vertebrae (LV) dimensions offer essential information with immense diagnostic benefits for clinicians. Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders. From a surgical perspective, this is an important area for many medical conditions. However, surgical access to lumbar vertebrae (LV) and their surroundings is technically challenging. There is a scarcity of studies that have determined normal LV values in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine normal morphometric values of the LV in Ethiopia.

Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted to perform morphometric analysis of the LV in 300 adults from May 2017 to August 2018. Various lumbar structures, such as the anteroposterior and lateral views, were measured on X-ray films using a digital Vernier caliper. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20, and the mean and standard deviation were calculated for each parameter.

Results: Three hundred Ethiopian adults participated in this study, 149 (49.7%) of whom were female. The mean age was (36.42 ± 12.78) years. The mean anterior heights of the LV from L1 to L5 were: (22.8± 2.4, 24.3 ± 2.5, 23.9 ± 2.3, 23.26 ± 2.18, 25.08 ± 2.137 mm) respectively with a gradual increase from L1 to L2, then L4 to L5. Whereas, the mean posterior heights from L1 to L5 were: (24.23 ± 2.32, 24.14 ± 2.22, 25.08 ± 2.49, 23.26 ± 2.18, 22.25 ± 1.90 mm), respectively.

Conclusion: The findings showed notable variations between males and females in terms of the measured parameters. The measurements obtained will serve as a baseline for adults in Ethiopia, and guide clinicians during evaluation and treatment of patients.