IMPACT OF THE GRADE OF DEGENERATIVE LUMBAR DISEASE ON THE OCCURRENCE OF SPINAL DEFORMITY

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the impact of the severity of degenerative lumbar disease (DLD) on the occurrence of spinal deformity, as well as on the choice of treatment, whether conservative or surgical. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospective database. One hundred and thirty patients with low back pain and/or pain radiating to the lower limbs were included in the study and were graded on a DLD scale that considers total spine (panoramic) X-ray findings. The rates of adult spinal deformity (ASD) for the different degrees of the DLD scale were compared using the Chi-square test. The choice of treatment type, conservative or surgical, was also compared among the degrees of the DLD scale using Fisher's exact test. Results: The ASD rate was zero in grade 0 patients, 24% in grade I, 35% in grade II and 44% in grade III (P = 0.02). Grade III patients were more likely to be diagnosed with ASD (OR = 2.22; P <0.05; 95% CI = 0.90-5.45) compared to the other DLD grades. Only 7.7% of the patients were chosen for surgical treatment and there was no difference by the DLD scale grade. Conclusion: There was correlation between the DLD grading scale and the occurrence of ASD, with at least twice the chance of this diagnosis in DLD scale grade III as compared to the other grades. The treatment of choice was conservative in a very small number of patients analyzed, with no difference between the different grades of the DLD grading scale. Level of Evidence III; Retrospective analysis of prospective database (cohort).