Author(s)

Mahmoud Mousa¹, Yasser Al Ajerami², Khalid Abu Shab², Mohammad Matar³, Marwan Matar¹, Sadi Jaber⁴, Fouad S. Jaber⁵, Abdullah Abu Mousa⁶, Ahmad Jaber¹, Ali Alhoubi⁷

¹Department of Radiology, Gaza-European Hospital, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
²Department of Medical Imaging, Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Azhar University, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
³Department of Radiology, Al Shifa medical Complex, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁴Department of Radiology, Nasser Medical Complex, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁵Internal Medicine Department, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
⁶Department of Radiology, Al Khair Charity Hospital, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁷Department of Radiology, Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between lumbosacral discopathy status and paraspinal atrophic changes (Cross-sectional area (CSA) and fatty infiltration (FI)) among different age groups. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 200 patients with confirmed discopathy who were examined by lumbosacral Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at the two main governmental hospitals in Gaza Strip. Using ImageJ software and quantification threshold technique, we measured the CSA and FI of paraspinal muscles {multifidus (MF) & erector spinae (ES)}. The interpretation of MRI images was performed by two radiologists with a good inter-observer agreement between the radiological discopathy findings. Results: The highest percentage and severity of discopathy were noticed at the level of L4/5 (89.5%), followed by L5/S1 (14.5%). The FI is increased towards lower levels of L3/4 to L5/S1. No correlation was found between discopathy level, the severity of discopathy, and CSA of MF & ES muscles. In contrast, a correlation was observed between FI of MF & ES muscles, discopathy level, and severity. Also, the results illustrated no significant relation was observed between CSA of MF & ES muscles and age groups (P > 0.05), while a significant correlation was reported between FI and age groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The MRI quantification threshold pixel technique for paraspinal muscles reflected the atrophic changes like CSA and FI in discopathy patients.

Paraspinal Muscles, Cross-Sectional Area, Fatty Infiltration, Multifidus, Erector Spinae, Discopathy

Mousa, M. , Ajerami, Y. , Shab, K. , Matar, M. , Matar, M. , Jaber, S. , Jaber, F. , Mousa, A. , Jaber, A. and Alhoubi, A. (2022) Quantification Threshold Pixel Technique of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Paraspinal Muscles Atrophy among Discopathy Patients. Open Journal of Medical Imaging, 12, 48-66. doi: 10.4236/ojmi.2022.122006.