Magnetic Resonance Imaging Diagnoses in the Lumbar Spine of Adults With Low Back Pain in South West, Nigeria

Background: The prevalence of love back pain in Nigeria cumparable to what obtains in industrialized countries, where it is recorded a affecting inure than 80% of the populace in their liletame and accounting for a mean of 3 days off work per person per year. Although numerous modalities are available, Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI) has emerged as the procedure af choice for the diagnosti imaging of the lumbar spine, due to its imaging characteristics which allow examiners to observe himhar anatomy in precise detail and detect morphalogic and biochemical abnormalities that were not observable previously. This study is dans sa determine the pattom, prevalence and probable cause of low back pain in adults and to compare the results with those of previous studies. Methodology: Two hundred and fity patients who had MR imaging of lumbar spine pedarmed during a 12-month period (have 2016 May 2007 wew neviewed. An open magnet of 12TESLA strength (SIEMENS MAGNETOM CONCERTO (MR 2004A) was med to obtain images. Data woanded included dise contour, disc space narrowing/height, nerve root compression, centeal spinal stenosis, bony destruction, bone marrow changes/Modic changes, spondylosis/spondylolisthesis and the presence of paravertebral or panaspinal soft tissuemasies Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.27±14.39 years, with majonty of the patients 23.6%) in the decade. In all 42.4% females and 57.6% were males Commonest linical finding was idiopathic hack pain in which majority (87.4%) had mechanical love back pain which comprises degenerative, idiopathic and congenital abnormalities, while 12.6% had non-michanical low back pain comprising infections and tumors. The commonest radiological diagnosis is burth genders and in all the age groups, fexwagt in the 21-30 years) мак Inter Vertebral astrochondrosis Conclusion: Mechanical love back pain, of which intervertebral ustrochemadness accounts for th highest percentage and is the most comman cause of kne back pain in our environment