Wedge-shaped vertebrae is a risk factor for symptomatic upper lumbar disc herniation

At present, much is unknown about the etiology and pathogenesis of ULDH. However, it is interesting to note that many ULDH patients have a radiographic feature of adjacent vertebral wedge deformation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between symptomatic upper lumbar disc herniation (ULDH) and wedge-shaped vertebrae (WSV). This was a retrospective study of 65 patients with single-level ULDH, who had undergone surgery at our medical center between January 2012 and December 2016. Clinical data including clinical and radiological evaluation results were performed. The incidence of WSV in the ULDH group (44.6%, 29/65) was more than in the lower lumbar disc herniation group (21.5%, 14/65). And there were statistically significant differences in WSV (χ = 7.819, P = 0.005), wedging angle of the vertebrae (WAV) (t = 9.013, P