• Abolhassan Shakeri, Moslem Shakeri, Mohammadreza Ojaghzadeh Behrooz, Razieh Behzadmehr, Zohreh Ostadi, and Daniel Fadaei Fouladi.
• Department of Radiology, Imam Reza Teaching Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
• Eur Spine J. 2018 May 1; 27 (5): 1096-1104.

PurposeTo examine a possible correlation of infrarenal aortic diameter and aortoiliac bifurcation level with lumbar disc degenerative changes.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, single-center retrospective study on lumbar magnetic resonance images of patients with low back pain (n = 496). Lumbar disc degenerative changes were reported on the basis of the Pfirrmann grading system and accordingly, patients were grouped as with grade I-II findings (n = 192), with grade III findings (n = 64) and with grade IV-V findings (n = 240). The groups were matched for sex, body mass index and the history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and smoking. Infrarenal aortic diameter and aortoiliac bifurcation level were compared between the three groups.ResultsPairwise comparisons between the three groups of patients with Pfirrmann grades of I-II, III and IV-V revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in terms of the median infrarenal aortic diameter (17 mm [interquartile range 4], 18 mm [4] and 19 mm [4], respectively) and the median aortoiliac bifurcation level (3 [2], 4 [2] and 5 [3], respectively; the higher the value, the more the caudal displacement). These associations were independent of conventional risk factors of atherosclerosis (including age) and from each other.ConclusionsThis study showed a significant, direct correlation of the infrarenal aortic diameter and the level of aortoiliac bifurcation with lumbar intervertebral degenerative changes according to the Pfirrmann grading system. The associations were independent of well-known risk factors of atherosclerosis and from each other.

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