Radiological Study of Abnormal Movement of Neural Arch in Adolescents

Abstract

To study the features of the neural arch in the immature lumbo-sacral spine with special reference to spondylolysis, we measured the angle between the upper-line of the vertebral body and the upper-line of the spinous process under functional X-ray (V-S angle)
This paper reports on the assesment of the V-S angle in 114 cases of consecutive children and adolescent who visited our clinic for low back pain.
There were 79 boys and 35 girls, whose mean age was 15 years (7 to 17) old.
Spondylolysis was found in 16 cases (14%), spondylolisthesis in 4 cases (3.5%), and 97 cases were active in sport.
In the 97 cases (85%), positive movement of the V-S angle (more than 3°) was seen all cases of spondylolysis and spondlolisthesis, and in 77 cases (82%) in the other group.
In the athletes group, 83 cases (86%) showed positive movement. On the other hand, 15 cases (84%) in the non athletes group showed the same resalts.
The bone age was classified into 3 groups, as (-) group I to II degrees group and III degrees group (complete excursion) according to the development of iliac apophysis.
Positive movement was seen in 87% of the (-) group, in 92% of the I-II group and in 76% of the IV degree groups.
Thus the frequency of the non-movement of the posterior element seemed to increase in the older group.
In conclusion, a high frequency of the positive movement of the V-S angles was proved in immature lumbo-sacral spines.
There was no correlation between active athletes and non active athletes.