The lumbar spine checklist is just one of the many pathology checklists that can be used when reporting to ensure that you always actively exclude pathology that is commonly missed; this is particularly helpful in the examination setting, e.g. the FRCR 2B rapid-reporting.
Radiograph
The lumbar spine can be shown in an exam setting, and will have been primarily performed because of a history of trauma and/ or pain.
Alignment
Vertebral bodies
- Paget disease
- metastasis
- fracture
- limbus vertebra
Intervertebral discs/endplates
- degenerative disc disease
- Modic type 3 endplate changes
- sickle cell disease
- ochronosis
- diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)
- ankylosing spondylitis - chalk stick fracture
- discitis/osteomyelitis
- osteopetrosis
- posterior ring apophyseal fracture
Posterior elements
Sacrum
- sacral insufficiency fracture
- inflammatory spondyloarthropathy e.g. ankylosing spondylitis
- sacroiliac joint septic arthritis
- osteitis condensans ilii