Morphological Analysis of the Human Lumbar Spine Using Sagittal Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Sagittal morphological dimensions of the human lower lumbar structures are critical inputs for the comprehensive biomechanical modeling of spinal motions and the risk assessment of work-related low back pain. In this new quantitative exploration of sagittal morphology across the lower lumbar region (i.e., from L3/L4 to L5/S1), intervertebral disc (IVD) height, vertebral body (VB) height, endplate concavity was measured from two samples of subjects, including 1) archived medical records (AMR) collected from 57 patients and 2) 43 asymptomatic subjects with no history of low back pain (ASYM), independently by four individuals on a monthly basis. First, the current study achieved good inter- and intra-rater reliabilities. In addition, the current results also revealed that AMR sample had greater anterior-to-posterior vertebral body height ratio in vertebra L3 and L5. On the other hand, ASYM sample had significantly greater endplate concavity.