Abstract
BACKGROUND: The degeneration and functional decline of paravertebral muscles (PVMs) are reported to be closely linked to the incidence of degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS), a spinal deformity of the mature skeleton. However, the functional role and degeneration of PVMs and their relationship to the development of spinal deformities remain controversial. Therefore, the present study analyzed the morphological changes in the PVMs of patients with DLS, and explored the relationship between PVM degeneration and spinal osseous parameters. METHODS: In this retrospective case-control study, we evaluated the PVM parameters of patients with DLS (n=120) and compared them with patients free of DLS (control group, n=120). The cross-sectional area (CSA) and computed tomography (CT) values of the PVM at the lumbar vertebra 1-5 levels were measured. Further, the lumbar scoliosis Cobb, lumbar lordotic, and apical vertebral rotation angles were measured on CT and radiographs in the DLS group, and the relationship between PVM changes and these factors was analyzed. RESULTS: In the control group, the PVM CSA and CT values differed insignificantly between the bilateral sides at all levels (P>0.05). In the DLS group, the CSAs of the multifidus (MF) and erector spinae (ES) were larger on the convex side than the concave side (P>0.05), whereas that of the psoas major (PM) was smaller on the convex side than the concave side (P<0.05). The CT value of the PVM was lower on the convex side at all levels (P<0.05). The CSA and CT values on both sides of the patients were lower in the DLS group than the control group at all levels (P<0.05). Further, the degree of PVM asymmetry at the apical vertebral level was positively correlated with the lumbar scoliosis (P<0.01) and apical vertebral rotation angles (P<0.05), but negatively correlated with the lumbar lordotic angle (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Asymmetric degeneration of the PVM was observed bilaterally in DLS patients, and the degeneration was more pronounced on the concave side than the convex side. This asymmetrical degeneration was closely associated with the severity of lumbar scoliosis, vertebral rotation, and loss of lumbar lordosis, and a stronger correlation was observed with the MF and ES than with the PM.