The Relationship of Facet Joint Orientation and Tropism with Lumbar Disc Herniation and Degenerative Spondylolisthesis in the Lower Lumbar Spine

Retrospective study. This study aimed to clarify the relationship of both facet tropism (FT) and the sagittally aligned facet (SAF) joint with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). Despite several studies conducted, there is no consensus on the association of the SAF joint and FT with DH and DS. Between June 2015 and December 2017, magnetic resonance imaging scans of 250 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for LDH and DS were analyzed. The facet angles at all the lower lumbar levels were calculated, and SAF and FT were noted. The relationship between the side of disc herniation and that of the SAF joint were also determined. Statistical analysis was performed, and the relation of SAF and FT to LDH and DS was noted. We observed a positive relationship between SAF and LDH at L4-5 and L5-S1 with a p-value of 0.02 (