Radiological prevalence of lumbar intervertebral disc calcification in the elderly: an autopsy study

Abstract

 Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate the in vitro radiological prevalence of lumbar intervertebral disc calcification (IDC) in the elderly and its relation to osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and methods. Lumbar spine segments comprising L2–4 were resected from 60 cadavers (30 males, 30 females; average age 67 years) and investigated with high-contrast radiography and computed tomography (CT). Results and conclusions. IDC was found in 58.3% of the patients using high-contrast radiography and in 46.7% of the patients using CT. IDC prevalence and OA grades in the lumbar spine and right hand were found to increase with age. IDC prevalence and OA grades for L2–3 were not significantly different from those for L3–4. No significant sex difference was found for IDC prevalence and OA grades. The results indicate that IDC is significantly underestimated in vivo by conventional radiography and that intervertebral disc calcification may be a common phenomenon in aging. The exact relation of IDC to OA remains undetermined.