Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Weerakkody Y, Skandhan A, Luong D, et al. Facet joint tropism. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 18 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-90699
Facet joint tropism refers to a situation where there is a difference in the orientation/angle of facet joints (i.e. between the left and right sides) with respect to each other in the sagittal plane. This can lead to unequal biomechanical forces on the facet joints and intervertebral disc during rotation and other physiological movements.
Epidemiology
The reported incidence in the lumbar spine has been variable at around 40-70%.
In the lumbar spine, the L4-L5 level is considered the most commonly affected level 1.
Radiographic features
Angle is calculated in the axial planes, with angle assessed between lines along the posterior border of the vertebral body and another line bisecting the superior and inferior tips of the facet joint process. The angle calculated was considered the facet joint angle and if the difference in the angulation of either facet joint at the same level, was 8° or more, it was considered as facet tropism7.
Associations
In the lumbar spine, it has been reported in some studies 2 but not in others 6 to have a higher association with:
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1. Garg K, Aggarwal A. Facet Tropism in Lumbar Spine and Cervical Spine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2021) World neurosurgery. 147: 47-65. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2020.11.171 - Pubmed
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2. Rong X, Wang B, Ding C, Deng Y, Chen H, Meng Y, Yan W, Liu H. The biomechanical impact of facet tropism on the intervertebral disc and facet joints in the cervical spine. (2017) The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society. 17 (12): 1926-1931. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2017.07.009 - Pubmed
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3. Samartzis D, Cheung JP, Rajasekaran S, Kawaguchi Y, Acharya S, Kawakami M, Satoh S, Chen WJ, Park CK, Lee CS, Foocharoen T, Nagashima H, Kuh S, Zheng Z, Condor R, Ito M, Iwasaki M, Jeong JH, Luk KD, Prijambodo B, Rege A, Jahng TA, Luo Z, Tassanawipas WA, Acharya N, Pokharel R, Shen Y, Ito T, Zhang Z, Aithala P J, Kumar GV, Jabir RA, Basu S, Li B, Moudgil V, Goss B, Sham P, Williams R. Is lumbar facet joint tropism developmental or secondary to degeneration? An international, large-scale multicenter study by the AOSpine Asia Pacific Research Collaboration Consortium. (2016) Scoliosis and spinal disorders. 11: 9. doi:10.1186/s13013-016-0062-2 - Pubmed
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4. Zhou Q, Teng D, Zhang T, Lei X, Jiang W. Association of facet tropism and orientation with lumbar disc herniation in young patients. (2018) Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 39 (5): 841-846. doi:10.1007/s10072-018-3270-0 - Pubmed
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5. Wang H, Zhang Z, Zhou Y. Irregular Alteration of Facet Orientation in Lumbar Segments: Possible Role in Pathology of Lumbar Disc Herniation in Adolescents. (2016) World neurosurgery. 86: 321-7. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2015.09.029 - Pubmed
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6. Chadha M, Sharma G, Arora SS, Kochar V. Association of facet tropism with lumbar disc herniation. (2013) European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society. 22 (5): 1045-52. doi:10.1007/s00586-012-2612-5 - Pubmed
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7. Rai R, Shah Y, Shah S, Palliyil N, Dalvie S. A Radiological Study of the Association of Facet Joint Tropism and Facet Angulation With Degenerative Spondylolisthesis. Neurospine. 2019;16(4):742-7. doi:10.14245/ns.1836232.116
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