Postdoctorate Research Associate University of Illinois at Chicago
Introduction: Lumbar spinal stenosis is a prevalent cause of back pain, radiculopathy, and neurogenic claudication, particularly affecting the elderly population. Studies in Western populations have highlighted age-related differences in lumbar canal dimensions, indicating larger canals in older individuals. This study aims to evaluate the lumbar spinal canal dimensions in a Lebanese population born in two different decades.
Methods: A retrospective chart review analyzing spinal and abdominal computed tomography reconstruction was conducted on patients born between 1940 and 1949 (older group) and 1970 and 1979 (younger group). Lumbar bony canal cross-sectional area (CSA) and anterior-posterior diameter (APD) were measured at each lumbar level by two independent reviewers.
Results: The study included 372 patients, with 269 in the younger group (mean age: 45.1 ± 2.8 years) and 103 in the older group (mean age: 75.1 ± 2.6 years). Older patients showed consistently larger CSA and APD at all lumbar levels, with statistically significant differences in L5 CSA (p = 0.050) and APD at L3 (p = 0.017), L4 (p = 0.039), and the overall APD average (p = 0.034). Correlation analysis confirmed a positive association between age and both CSA and APD, though with small effect sizes. No significant associations were found with gender, BMI, smoking, steroid use, cancer history, or osteoporosis.
Conclusion : Older Lebanese patients exhibited larger canal dimensions similar to Western cohorts, though significance varied. These findings emphasize the necessity of studying anatomical variations across different populations. Notably, younger generations displayed a potential trend of decreased spinal canal growth, warranting further investigation for its implications in future symptomatic canal stenosis development.
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