Abstract
BACKGROUND: MRI-derived vertebral bone quality (VBQ) rises with marrow fat and denotes poorer bone integrity. We examined whether simple inflammatory ratios-neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR)-relate to VBQ in degenerative lumbar disease. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 200 patients aged ≥50 years who underwent surgery between January 2022 and January 2024. VBQ was calculated on mid-sagittal T1-weighted MRI using vertebral and cerebrospinal-fluid regions of interest. Associations were tested with Spearman correlations and multivariable linear regression adjusting for age, sex, smoking, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Among 200 patients (mean age = 64.8 ± 8.7 years), those with higher VBQ values (indicating poorer bone quality) were older and had higher NLR and PLR (all p<0.001). VBQ showed significant positive correlations with age (ρ = 0.650), NLR (ρ = 0.534), and PLR (ρ = 0.452) (all p<0.001). In multivariable regression, age, NLR, and PLR remained independently associated with higher VBQ, whereas BMI, sex, smoking, and diabetes were not significant (adjusted R(2)=0.520; all VIF≤2.26). Standardized effect sizes indicated moderate independent contributions (β_std = 0.151 for NLR; β_std = 0.303 for PLR), corresponding to roughly 0.020-unit and 0.075-unit increases in VBQ per 1-unit NLR and 50-unit PLR increments, respectively. CONCLUSION: Preoperative NLR and PLR were independently associated with higher MRI-derived VBQ and may aid imaging-based risk stratification; prospective validation with calibrated thresholds is needed.