Pain Control Affects the Radiographic Diagnosis of Segmental Instability in Patients with Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.

ABSTRACT: Diagnosing intervertebral instability is crucial for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS). Disabling back pain will reduce spinal mobility which leads to an underestimate of the incidence of intervertebral instability. We hypothesized that adequate analgesia could alter the flexion/extension exam performance, and thus increase the diagnostic accuracy of segmental instability. One hundred patients with low-grade DLS were prospectively enrolled in the before-after cohort study. Standing lateral flexion/extension radiographs of lumbar spines were examined and analyzed before and after intramuscular injections of 30 mg ketorolac. Pain score decreased significantly after analgesic injections (p < 0.001). Dynamic slip (DS), dynamic segmental angle (DA), dynamic lumbar lor

SUBMITTER: Chou SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8432229 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature