Lumbar spondylolysis is a fatigue
fracture of the vertebral pars interarticularis caused by repeated extension
and rotation of the lower trunk in young athletes. The prevalence of pars
defects is reportedly high in adolescent athletes with back pain. Although lumbar spondylolysis is a major cause of low back pain in
adolescence, it is usually asymptomatic in early stages.
Vibration signal analysis is a method used to measure changes in
specific signal frequency components resulting from bone fracture, as the
natural frequency of bone varies depending on bone shape. Unlike large-size
imaging systems, such as MRI and CT, vibration signal analysis only requires
simple equipment and can be performed anywhere. Thus, it can be performed
outside medical institutions, where imaging examinations cannot be carried out.
To detect early-stage spondylolysis using the vibration signal analysis is
possible to prevent aggravation of spondylolysis as a new diagnostic tool
instead of the imaging systems.
The aim of this
study was to investigate whether vibration signal analysis can be used to
detect lumbar spondylolysis in synthetic bone. Four synthetic spondylolysis
models of the fifth lumbar vertebra (Sawbones, product No. SAW1352-10: Malmö,
Sweden) were prepared, with the following conditions: intact, unilateral
defect, and bilateral defect. Unilateral defects were created by making an
incision of either half the diameter (50% incision) or the entire diameter
(100% incision) in length through the pars interarticularis or pedicle.
Bilateral defects were created by making an additional incision of half the
diameter in length on the opposite side of the defected pars interarticularis
or pedicle (50% + 100% incision).
Hammering was
performed five times on each spinous process of the fixed synthetic bones and
vibration signals were measured using an accelerometer attached to the
contralateral side of the hammer. Signals were analyzed using fast Fourier
transform. The parameters analyzed included the mean power frequency, first
power minimum frequency (the minimum value between the first and second peaks),
spectral areas of low and high frequency bands, and the relative ratio between
the spectral areas of low and high frequency bands.
The results showed
that the relative ratio was significantly lower in the 50%, 100%, and 50% +
100% incision conditions compared to the intact condition (p < 0.01), suggesting
the potential utility of vibration signal analysis in diagnosing lumbar
spondylolysis.
Article by Hiroyuki
Watanabe, et al, from Japan.
Full access: http://t.cn/Eb6x5Iz
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