Impact of Adjacent Facet Joint Osteoarthritis on Adjacent Segment Degeneration after Short-Segment Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Indirect Decompression: Minimum 5-Year Follow-Up

Figure 4

Representative images from the case of a 61-year-old female with L4 spondylolisthesis. (a) Postoperative lateral radiographs at 2 weeks and 5 years after surgery. Posterior slippage of the L3 vertebra and decrease in L3/4 disc space height were found. (b) Sagittal (upper panel) and axial (lower panel) MRI images at L3/4 disc level at 2 weeks and 5 years after surgery. Posterior protrusion of the L3/4 disc (white arrow) is present at 5 years postoperatively. The axial view shows a decrease in the dural sac cross-sectional area and thickening of connective tissue and ligaments around the facets at 5-year follow-up. (c) Preoperative CT axial view at the L3/4 facet joint shows overall joint space narrowing and a subchondral cyst (white arrow).

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