Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis : correlation with Oswestry index and magnetic ressonance

Modelo de Estudo: Estudo diagnóstico Transversal de caso controle. Objetivos: comparar pacientes com estenose do canal lombar com indicação de cirurgia e um grupo controle, assintomáticos para esta doença, levando em consideração imagens de ressonância magnética (RM) e o questionário de Oswestry. Material e Método: Vinte e três pacientes com estenose do canal lombar foram comparados com um grupo controle de 17 indivíduos. Todos foram submetidos a RM e responderam ao questionário de Oswestry. Medidas qualitativas foram descritas segundo os grupos com uso de frequências absolutas e relativas e, verificada a existência de associação dessas medidas com uso do teste exato de Fisher. Medidas quantitativas foram descritas e comparadas entre os grupos com uso do teste Mann-Whitney. O teste de Spearman foi utilizado para avaliar a correlação entre os grupos. Resultados: Lombalgia foi a queixa mais frequente nos dois grupos. O índice de Oswestry mostrou média de percentual de invalidez de 45,69% no Grupo Estenose e 11,60% no Grupo Controle. A RM mostrou que a área de secção transversa do saco dural, o diâmetro do canal e a avaliação dos forames e recesso lateral estavam alterados em ambos os grupos. Conclusões: Não houve relação entre o grau de estenose do canal lombar mensurado em exame de RM com o índice de Oswestry em ambos os grupos.Study design: Transversal Case-control, diagnostic study. Objectives: To verify the relationship between the degree of lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LCS), as seen in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the severity of disability as seen in the Oswestry Index, in patients with LCS compared to controls without a diagnosed LCS. Methods: Twenty-three patients with a previous diagnosis of LCS were compared with a control group of 17 volunteers. All participants underwent MRI and answered the Oswestry questionnaire. Qualitative data were described according to the groups with the use of absolute and relative frequencies, and the association of these measures was checked by using the Fisher exact test. Quantitative measures were described and compared between groups using the Mann-Whitney test. Spearman's test was used as well. Results: Low back pain was the most frequent complaint in both groups. The Oswestry index showed average percentage of disability of 45.69% in patients with stenosis and 11.60% in the control group. MRI revealed that the dural sac cross-sectional area (DCSA), the diameter of the canal and the evaluation of lateral recesses and foramina were equally changed in both groups. Conclusions: There was no correlation between the degree of lumbar canal stenosis measured on MRI with the Oswestry Disability Index in both groups