Feasibility and Accuracy of Ultrasound-guided Methodology in the Examination of Lumbar Spine Facet Joints

Objective To investigate the feasibility,accuracy of B ultrasound in the examination of joint space of lumbar spine facet joints compared with CT scan. Methods Ten healthy adult volunteers were enrolled. The joint space of lumbar facet joints was measured by ultrasound. To identify the spinal levels, the posterior parasagittal sonograms were obtained at levels L1 to S1. The lumbar facet joints were delineated with the help of transverse sonograms at each level. Meanwhile, the lumbar facet joints were evaluated by spiral CT on the same plane, reformatted to 1-mm axial slices. Results A total of 88 lumbar facet joints from L1 to S1 were clearly visualized in the 10 volunteers. Both ultrasound and CT measurements showed the same average depth and lateral distance of lumbar facet joint space (P>0.05). Conclusion The lumbar facet joint space can be accurately demonstrated by ultrasound.