Abstract
A study of 122 patients with disc herniation, degenerative spondylolisthesis, and spinal canal stenosis was undertaken to test the hypothesis that asymmetry of the facet joints is associated with the lumbar spinal diseases. The facet joint angles were measured at the L 3/4, L 4/5, and L5/Sl levels. The differences between the right and left facet joints were calculated. The results showed that in cases of disc herniation, there was a significant difference in the facet angles. There was no relation between facet joint asymmetry and degenerative change of the intervertebral disc. These results support the hypothesis that facet asymmetry is associated with lumbar disc herniation.
