PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - V.T. Lehman
AU  - C.P. Wood
AU  - C.H. Hunt
AU  - R.E. Carter
AU  - J.B. Allred
AU  - F.E. Diehn
AU  - J.M. Morris
AU  - J.T. Wald
AU  - K.R. Thielen
TI  - Facet Joint Signal Change on MRI at Levels of Acute/Subacute Lumbar Compression Fractures
AID  - 10.3174/ajnr.A3449
DP  - 2013 Jul 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 1468--1473
VI  - 34
IP  - 7
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/34/7/1468.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/34/7/1468.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2013 Jul 01; 34
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The prevalence of facet joint signal change in acute/subacute lumbar vertebral body compression fractures is unknown. We hypothesized that facet joint signal change on MR imaging is more common in facet joints associated with an acute/subacute lumbar compression fracture than those associated with normal vertebral bodies or ones that have a chronic compression fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three neuroradiologists and a neuroradiology fellow retrospectively graded facet joint inflammatory change on MR imaging in 900 facet joints in 75 patients with at least 1 painful osteoporotic lumbar compression fracture. Facet joint signal change was assessed on T2-weighted images with chemical fat-saturation, STIR images, and/or gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images with chemical fat-saturation. Each facet joint from the T12/L1 to L5/S1 level was assessed individually. An overall facet joint signal-change score, which is a composite measure of the grade of signal change for all 4 facet joints associated with a given lumbar vertebral level, was devised, and statistical significance was assessed via Wilcoxon rank sum tests. RESULTS: The overall facet joint signal-change scores were significantly higher at vertebral body levels affected by an acute/subacute compression fracture compared with control levels, which were associated with either normal bodies or chronic compression fractures. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest an association between facet joint signal change on MR imaging and acute/subacute lumbar vertebral body compression fractures. STIRshort tau inversion recovery