RADIOMETRIC CHANGES IN ADJACENT INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS FOLLOWING TRANSPEDICULAR FIXATION OF THE LUMBAR SPINE IN THE TREATMENT OF DEGENERATIVE DISEASES

The work was performed within the framework of the research project "Improving the diagnosis and treatment of degenerative diseases of the lumbar spine in military personnel (clinical and experimental study)".State registration number 0123U104221.Introduction.Transpedicular fixation is a widely used surgical method for the treatment of spinal diseases, deformities, and injuries [1].Posterior bone-grafting fusion with transpedicular screws ensures stabilization of the affected segment; however, it simultaneously disrupts the natural biomechanical relationships between vertebral motion segments.This disruption may lead to or accelerate degenerative changes in adjacent spinal segments.Such pathological changes are often characterized by reduced disc height, disc herniation, scoliotic deformities, spondylolisthesis, or spinal canal stenosis.Notably, radiographic signs of adjacent segment disease may be present without clinical symptoms in 12.2-42.6% of cases, while radiographic changes accompanied by clinical manifestations are observed in 4-20% [2,3].The most common risk factors for the development of adjacent segment syndrome (AS) include pre-existing degeneration in adjacent levels, sagittal imbalance, rigid fixation constructs, and intraoperative muscle trauma [4,5].Despite the existence of clear predisposing factors, available data on radiographic changes in adjacent intervertebral discs during the postoperative period remain limited.