• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.52-66
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• 2003

The intervertebral disc is a cartilaginous structure that resembles articular cartilage in its biochemistry, but morphologically it is clearly different. It shows degenerative and ageing changes earlier than does any other connective tissue in the body, It is believed to be important clinically because there is an association of disc degeneration with back pain. Degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc are thought to develop as aging, mechanical stress and metabolic factors. Genetic factors may also play a part in the onset or progress of the degenerative process. They, together with environmental factors, may act as determinants of the structural characteristics of the intervertebral disc and produce a tendency to generation, In this short review we outline the morphplogy and biochemistry of normal intervertebral disc and the changes that arise during degeneration. Therefore this study will review degeneration of intervertebral disc, so we will have knowledge about low back pain associated with degenerative change in the intervertebral disc.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.43-49
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• 2006

Purpose: Changes of degenerative disc have been analyzed or with the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to assign appropriate meaning, and the relationship between the degenerative changes of the discs and its living function has been evaluated through the living function evaluation scores collected by functional rating index. Methods: in April, 2006, a physical examination was conducted for physical laborers to be employed as on-site laborer in a steel industrial complex located at a region. A month later, these 20 laborers who participated in lumbar vertebra MRI tests have been investigated for one-to-one mobile phone functional rating index test. Excluding 3 of 14 respondents whom scored 0 in functional rating index, the rest of respondents' degenerative disc grade changes shown in MRI and its relationship to living functional rating index have been performed. Results: The Dabbs method of measuring disc height resulted to show significant increase as the disc height changes from L1-2 level to L5-S1 level (p<0.01). However, there was no statistical significance with a relationship between disc height and functional rating index, and disc height average. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging analysis regard on the degree of disc degeneration and its relationship to living functional rating proved to have significant relationship (p<0.05). Conclusion: The degenerative changes monitored by Magnetic Resonance Imaging show significant relationship (p<0.05) to living function. However, this relationship could vary depend upon the characteristics of study population. So, it suggested that the future studies should be performed by considering population's age and job career.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.401-411
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• 2015

More than 10 years have passed since lumbar total disc replacement (LTDR) was introduced for the first time to the world market for the surgical management of lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD). It seems like the right time to sum up the relevant results in order to understand where LTDR stands on now, and is heading forward to. The pathogenesis of DDD has been currently settled, but diagnosis and managements are still controversial. Fusion is recognized as golden standard of surgical managements but has various kinds of shortcomings. Lately, LTDR has been expected to replace fusion surgery. A great deal of LTDR reports has come out. Among them, more than 5-year follow-up prospective randomized controlled studies including USA IDE trials were expected to elucidate whether for LTDR to have therapeutic benefit compared to fusion. The results of these studies revealed that LTDR was not inferior to fusion. Most of clinical studies dealing with LTDR revealed that there was no strong evidence for preventive effect of LTDR against symptomatic degenerative changes of adjacent segment disease. LTDR does not have shortcomings associated with fusion. However, it has a potentiality of the new complications to occur, which surgeons have never experienced in fusion surgeries. Consequently, longer follow-up should be necessary as yet to confirm the maintenance of improved surgical outcome and to observe any very late complications. LTDR still may get a chance to establish itself as a substitute of fusion both nominally and virtually if it eases the concerns listed above.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.3 s.54
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• pp.565-577
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• 1996

This study was conducted to evaluate the association of work posture with cervical spine abnormality toward 106 microwave-oven assemblers. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain a general characteristics and a work history of workers. The posture of neck and shoulder joint of workers were measured with video tape recording and the simple X-ray of cervical spine was checked-up to observe the X-ray abnormality including degenerative change, curvature abnormality, disc space narrowing or disc canal narrowing. The result were as follows. 1. The prevalence of degenerative change among cervicobrachial disorder workers was 44.3% (47 persons), curvature abnormality was 43.4%(46 persons), disc space narrowing was 21.7%(23 persons), and disc canal narrowing was 21.7%(23 persons). 2. The prevalence of degenerative change at cervical spine was increased with the degree of neck flexion(flexed versus neutral, odds ratio [OR]=2.7), the total work posture of neck(mild or severe awkward versus neutral ; OR=1.2, 3.4). 3. The prevalence of degenerative change at cervical spine was increased with the degree of the right shoulder flexion, the heaviness of the materials carried by the right hand and the degree of awkwardness at the total work posture of right shoulder(p<0.05). 4. There was no evidence of association between curvature abnormality, disc space narrowing, disc canal narrowing and work posture. In conclusion the awkward work posture was related with degenerative change of cervical spine among microwave oven assembling workers and the further study in these field must be made to prove the association objectively.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.13-22
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to find out the characteristics of intervertebral disc changes and relative factors of the spondylolisthesis patients in fifties by type of spondylolisthesis. Methods : We investigated 69 cases of patients who visited one Korean traditional medicine hospital and were diagnosed as spondylolisthesis on L-spine X-ray and L-spine magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). We selected 37 lytic spondylolisthesis patients and 32 degenerative spondylolisthesis patients. We analysed the relativity between the numbers of changed discs, types of changed disc, locations of nerve compression and types of spondylolisthesis. Results : 1. The number of changed discs increase in lytic type, but there is no statistically significant difference. 2. Bulging disc is the dominant type of disc change. There is no significant difference between two types. 3. Both foraminal type was shown dominantly in lytic spondylolisthesis, diffuse type in degenerative spondylolisthesis by the analysis of the location of the nerve compression. But the symptoms of patients and dermatome did not match in most of the cases. Conculsions : The direction of nerve compression is different while the disc changing aspects are similar in both types. In several spondylolisthesis patients in fifties, symptoms of patient are related to degeneration of vertebrae, not to the type of spondylolisthesis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.69-77
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• 2021

Objective : Classification systems for cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) have traditionally focused on the morphological characteristics of ossification. Although the classification describes many clinical features associated with the shape of the ossification, including the concept of spondylosis seems necessary because of the similarity in age distribution. Methods : Patients diagnosed with OPLL who presented with increase signal intensity (ISI) on magnetic resonance imaging were surgically treated in our department. The patients were divided into two groups (pure versus degenerative) according to the presence of disc degeneration. Results : Of 141 patients enrolled in this study, more than half (61%) were classified into the degenerative group. The pure group showed a profound male predominance, early presentation of myelopathy, and a different predilection for ISI compared to the degenerative group. The mean canal compromise ratio (CC) of the ISI was 47% in the degenerative group versus 61% in the pure group (p<0.0000). On the contrary, the global and segment motions were significantly larger in the degenerative group (p<0.0000 and p=0.003, respectively). The canal diameters and global angles did not differ between groups. Conclusion : Classifying cervical OPLL based on the presence of combined disc degeneration is beneficial for understanding the disorder's behavior. CC appears to be the main factor in the development of myelopathy in the pure group, whereas additional dynamic factors appear to affect its development in the degenerative group.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2019

Objective : This study is a retrospective cost-benefit analysis of cervical anterior interbody fusion and cervical artificial disc replacement, which are the main surgical methods to treat degenerative cervical disc disease. Methods : We analyzed 156 patients who underwent anterior cervical disc fusion and cervical artificial disc replacement from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009, diagnosed with degenerative cervical disc disorder. In this study, the costs and benefits were analyzed by using quality adjusted life year (QALY) as the outcome index for patients undergoing surgery, and a Markov model was used for the analysis. Only direct medical costs were included in the analysis; indirect medical costs were excluded. Data were analyzed with TreeAge Pro $2015^{TM}$ (TreeAge Software, Inc, Williamstown, MA, USA). Results : Patients who underwent cervical anterior fusion had a total cost of KRW 2501807/USD 2357 over 5 years and obtained a utility of 3.72 QALY. Patients who underwent cervical artificial disc replacement received 4.18 QALY for a total of KRW 3685949/USD 3473 over 5 years. The cumulative cost-effectiveness ratio of cervical spine replacement surgery was KRW 2549511/QALY (USD 2402/QALY), which was lower than the general Korean payment standard. Conclusion : Both cervical anterior fusion and cervical artificial disc replacement are cost-effective treatments for patients with degenerative cervical disc disease. Cervical artificial disc replacement may be an effective alternative to obtain more benefits.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.186-195
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• 2022

Objective : To explore the histological feature of the cervical disc degeneration in patients with degenerative ossification (DO) and its potential mechanisms. Methods : A total of 96 surgical segments, from cervical disc degenerative disease patients with surgical treatment, were divided into ossification group (group O, n=46) and non-ossification group (group NO, n=50) based on preoperative radiological exams. Samples of disc tissues and osteophytes were harvested during the decompression operation. The hematoxylin-eosin staining, Masson trichrome staining and Safranin O-fast green staining were used to compare the histological differences between the two groups. And the distribution and content of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 between the two groups were compared by a semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC) method. Results : For all the disc tissues, the content of disc cells and collagen fibers decreased gradually from the outer annulus fibrosus (OAF) to the central nucleus pulposus (NP). Compared with group NO, the number of disc cells in group O increased significantly. But for proteoglycan in the inner annulus fibrosus (IAF) and NP, the content in group O decreased significantly. IHC analysis showed that TGF-β1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 were detected in all tissues. For group O, the content of TGF-β1 in the OAF and NP was significantly higher than that in group NO. For p-Smad2 in IAF and p-Smad3 in OAF, the content in group O were significantly higher than group NO. Conclusion : Histologically, cervical disc degeneration in patients with DO is more severe than that without DO. Local higher content of TGF-β1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 are involved in the disc degeneration with DO. Further studies with multi-approach analyses are needed to better understand the role of TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway in the disc degeneration with DO.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.93-99
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• 2007

Purpose : The aim of this study is to consider degenerative spine disease theoretically and compare plain radiography which is a basic study for low back pain with MRI in cases of degenerative lumbar spine disease to find out whether the abnormalities agree with each other. Methods : In 4 cases of lumbar degenerative disease, we studied the relation of the abnormalities such as disc space narrowing, spinal space narrowing, loss of lordosis and osteophytes on plain radiography with those on MRI of HIVD, spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis. Results : Many abnormalities such as disc space narrowing, spinal space narrowing, loss of lordosis, osteophytes and change of cortex & bone marrow on plain radiography suggest HIVD, spinal stenosis, spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis on MRI. Conclusion : For low back pain patients, plain radiography is a basic study in diagnosis of HIVD, spinal stenosis, spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis but MRI or CT scan is necessary to develop(build) a treatment plan like an operation.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.344-355
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• 2023

Chronic lower back pain is a leading cause of disability in musculoskeletal system. Degenerative disc disease is one of the main contributing factor of chronic back pain in the aging population in the world. It is postulated that sinuvertebral nerve and basivertebral nerve main mediator of the nociceptive response in degenerative disc disease as a result of neurotization of sinuvertebral and basivertebral nerve. A review in literature is done on the pathoanatomy, pathophysiology and pain generation pathway in degenerative disc disease and chronic back pain and management strategy is discussed in this review to aid understanding of sinuvertebral and basivertebral neuropathy treatment strategies.