• Jonas M Getzmann, Hamidreza Ashouri, Jakob M Burgstaller, Fabio Valeri, Sebastian Winklhofer, Nils H Ulrich, and Roman Guggenberger.
• Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), Zurich, Switzerland.
• Spine. 2023 Jan 15; 48 (2): 9710697-106.

Study DesignProspective.ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of paraspinal fatty muscle infiltration (FMI) and cumulative lumbar spine degeneration as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging on long-term clinical outcome measures in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) of the Lumbar Stenosis Outcome Study (LSOS) cohort.Summary Of Background DataPast studies have tried to establish correlations of morphologic imaging findings in LSCS with clinical endpoints. However, the impact of FMI and overall lumbar spinal degeneration load has not been examined yet.Materials And MethodsPatients from the LSOS cohort with moderate to severe LSCS were included. Two radiologists assessed the degree of LSCS as well as cumulative degeneration of the lumbar spine. FMI was graded using the Goutallier scoring system. Spinal Stenosis Measure (SSM) was used to measure the severity level of symptoms and disability. European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 3 Level Version (EQ-5D-3L) was used to measure health-related quality of life.ResultsThe nonsurgically treated group consisted of 116 patients (age 74.8±8.5 yr), whereas the surgically treated group included 300 patients (age 72.3±8.2 yr). Paraspinal FMI was significantly different between the groups (54.3% vs. 32.0% for Goutallier grade ≥2; P <0.001). Total degeneration score was comparable in both groups (9.5±2.0 vs. 9.3±2.0; P =0.418). FMI was associated with lower SSM function and lower EQ-5D-3L (all P <0.05), but not with SSM symptoms. Total degeneration of the lumbar spine was associated neither with SSM symptoms, nor with SSM function, nor with EQ-5D-3L (all P >0.05).ConclusionsFMI is associated with higher disability and worse health-related quality of life of LSCS patients in the LSOS cohort. There was no significant association between total cumulative lumbar spine degeneration and the outcome of either surgically or nonsurgically treated patients.Level Of Evidence3.Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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