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In an overall human population, maximum number of adults suffers from back pain. Low back pain in any individual will greatly affect their daily routine. Recent Developments of Bio Science and the superior availability of Computer Technology enabled abundant active researches combining digital technologies like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with finite element analysis (FEA) offer better diagnosis and treatment options. Clinically, lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) is of the main reason for low back pain. Degenerative disc disease in the lumbar region of the lower back is due to a compromised disc leading to low back pain. Aging and overloading factors are also some of the causes for low back pain. Once the chronic disc problem has been diagnosed, the conservative treatments like: specific rest, friction force medical aid or physiotherapy and exercise are followed. When correctly diagnosed, an excessive amount of medical/surgical treatments can be avoided. The aim of the study is to generate a mesh model and numerically simulate the biomechanical characteristics of the human spine, namely two vertebrae (L4 and L5) and inter vertebrae disc using finite element analysis (FEA) technique. In this process the bony areas of every MRI scanned image is segmented and the boundary lines are stacked into a smooth surface. Additionally, the technique generates the quantity mesh exploitation linear unit that is used to process the mesh for agreement. Moreover, L4 and L5 with disc were considered as linear materials with the exception of the ligaments. The contact behaviour of the two bones, simulation of disc and obtained displacements and stress describe about the pre-operation of human lumbar spine. The results depict that the potential fracture of the considered patient with respect to displacements. In this paper the implementation of various filtering techniques like median filter technique, Wiener filter technique and bilateral filter technique have been discussed. Using various edge detection algorithms namely, Canny edge detection, Sobel edge detection, Prewitt edge detection and Roberts edge detection, the results were compared. Among them, spine Canny edge detection algorithm produced effective output using MATLAB estimating the following parameters like total deformation, equivalent elastic strain, maximum and minimum principal elastic strain, normal elastic strain, shear elastic strain, equivalent stress, maximum and minimum principal stress, normal stress and shear stress. With the help of these parameters, the human spine model was analyzed and computed under different conditions at various degree of angles like 30°, 60° and 90° using the simulation software ANSYS and CATIA. The implementation has done with MATLAB, whereas the stress and strain have been found at the plate bone of aspect joint of L4 and L5.

Background To document the prevalence of extra spinal findings in lumbar MRI Results Among the scanned 400 patients, 90 cases had incidental non-spinal findings, and in 30 out of these 90 patients, the finding was the only reason for their complaint. Conclusions Radiologists should give attention to the non-spinal findings in lumbar spine MRI, as the detected pathology could be the source of pain or could potential life-threatening conditions.

The aim was to elucidate elite swimming’s possible influence on lumbar disc degeneration (DD) and low back pain (LBP). Lumbar spine MRI was performed on a group of elite swimmers and compared to a matched Finnish population-based no-sport group. One hundred elite swimmers and 96 no-sport adults, mean age 18.7/20.8, respectively, participated. Overall, the two groups had similar prevalence of DD. Swimmers had more DD in the upper lumbar spine but tended to have less DD at the lowest level. Prevalence of bulges and disc herniations were similar, but swimmers had significantly more bulges at L4–5. The swimmers reported less LBP, although not significantly (N.S.). If degenerative findings were present, the association between them and LBP was stronger in the no-sport group. Elite swimmers and controls had similar prevalence of DD and LBP, although the pattern of DD differed between the groups. In case of DD, swimmers reported less LBP, although N.S.

Objective. To compare MR morphologic parameters of spinal nerve roots and their range of variability in normal and abnormal spinal segments. Design and patients. Ninety-six consecutive lumbar spine MRI examinations were segregated into three groups: group 1 was composed of 30 patients with disc bulge, protrusion or extrusion at the L5-S1 segment measuring 3 mm or more; group 2 consisted of 31 patients with no disc pathology; and group 3 was composed of 35 patients with no disc abnormality at the L5-S1 level but with coexisting spine pathology at other segments. Measurements of 192 S1 nerve root sleeves were performed at three consecutive levels on T1-weighted images. Differences between right and left nerve root sleeve diameters (delta value) at three slice levels were calculated in each group. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. Results. No significant differences between the mean values of traversing S1 nerve root sleeve diameter on three corresponding consecutive slices were found among groups (P=0.733, P=0.824, P=0.365 respectively), nor were significant differences in delta values between groups found (P=0.639, P=0.113, P=0.722). Conclusions. S1 nerve root sleeve diameter and the differences between right and left in the abnormal group were not significantly different from normal and therefore can not be used as an objective criterion of nerve root pathology.