Prevalence of Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis among Adult Patients Who Underwent Abdominopelvic CT in FMC Ebute Metta

Abstract

Background: Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis are causes of low back pain and spinal instability. There is a lack of CT-based prevalence studies in Sub-Saharan Africa Aims: The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of lumbar spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, the vertebral levels affected, and the prevalence of spondylolytic (isthmic) spondylolisthesis vs non-spondylolytic spondylolisthesis, in patients who underwent an abdominal CT or CT urography in FMC Ebute Metta for reasons other than back pain. Methodology: The study was a retrospective descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study utilizing abdominopelvic CTs obtained in the radiology department of the Federal Medical Center, Ebute Metta. A total of 283 tomographs (belonging to 185 women and 98 men) were included in this study. Results: A total of 12 spondylolysis cases were observed detected in 11 patients (11/283, 3.9%). Majority (10/12, 83.3%) of the cases of spondylolysis were bilateral. Most of the cases of spondylolysis occurred at the L5 vertebral level (8/12, 66.7%). A total of 35 spondylolisthesis cases were observed in 33 patients (33/283, 11.7%). The most common level of involvement in spondylolisthesis among subjects in this study was L4/5 (16/35 cases, 45.7%). Majority of the subjects with spondylolisthesis had no co-existing spondylolysis (30/33, 90.9%). There were no significant differences in the rates of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis between both sexes. There was no significant association of spondylolysis with age, but there was statistically significant difference (p=.000) in the prevalence of spondylolisthesis between the different age groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the prevalence of spondylolysis in a Nigerian adult population is lower than that reported in most non-Black cohorts. Further multi-center studies incorporating larger and more diverse populations, together with clinical and genetic correlates, are warranted to clarify the epidemiological patterns and clinical significance of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in sub-Saharan Africa.