Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebrae amongst the Individuals Undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Whole Spine in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae is a common congenital anomalous condition of the spine. Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging have made it possible to acquire images of the whole spine. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae amongst the individuals undergoing magnetic resonance imaging of the whole spine in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 750 patients of all age groups who underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the whole spine in the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences from 7th November, 2019 to 6th November, 2020. Convenience sampling technique was used. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number 207/19). Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage. Results: Lumbosacral transitional vertebra was seen in 98 (13.10%) (95% Confidence Interval= 10.61-15.51) of the total 750 individuals. Out of the 98 patients who had lumbosacral transitional vertebra, 31 (4.10%) had lumbarization of S1 vertebra and 67 (8.94%) had sacralization of L5 vertebra. Conclusions: Prevalence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae amongst the individuals undergoing magnetic resonance imaging of the whole spine in our hospital was similar to other study done in similar settings. Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae are a common congenital anomalous condition of the spine that is identified incidentally. Enumeration of vertebrae from the first cervical vertebra using whole spine magnetic resonance imaging can confirm the presence of the lumbosacral transitional vertebrae with much accuracy