Thoracic spine X-ray examination of patients with back pain using different breathing technique and exposure times - A diagnostic study.

INTRODUCTION: The breathing and suspended inspiration techniques are often used interchangeably for spine X-ray examinations. However, these techniques are not always adequately supported by clinical evidence. This study aimed to determine the two techniques' diagnostic value and adverse image outcomes. METHODS: A total of 400 participants were examined on a Siemens Ysio Max system and randomized into four examination groups: suspended inspiration or breathing techniques with exposure times of 1, 2, and 3.2 s, respectively. Two consultant radiologists conducted the evaluation of the X-ray images. If disagreement was present, the radiologists collaboratively reviewed the X-ray images until a consensus was reached. RESULTS: The final 394 study population comprised 275 women and 119 men with a mean age of 64 years (range:18-96 years). The proportions of visually sharp reproduction of the endplates and trabecular structures did not differ significantly with regards to differences in exposure times between groups. The breathing technique groups had significantly higher proportions of blurring and motion artifacts (p < 0.001). However, adverse image outcomes (motions artifacts) were significantly lower in the 1-s exposure group. CONCLUSIONS: The suspended inspiration and breathing techniques performed equally well regarding visually sharp reproduction. However, the suspended inspiration technique was superior to the breathing technique. regarding adverse image outcomes, although the latter could be improved by using a shorter exposure time. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The suspended inspiration and breathing technique appeared to perform at equal diagnostic levels. The suspended inspiration technique should be preferred due to its reduced risk of adverse image outcomes. However, the risk could also be reduced using a short exposure time with the breathing technique.

Impact of obesity on adult spinal deformity (ASD) long-segment spinal fusion radiographic and clinical outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of patients receiving long-segment fusion during a five-year period. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether obese patients receive comparable benefits when receiving long-segment fusion compared to non-obese patients and to identify factors that may predict hardware failure and post-surgical complications among obese patients. METHODS: Demographic, spinopelvic radiographic, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and complications data was retrospectively collected from 120 patients who underwent long-segment fusion during a five-year period at one tertiary care medical center. Radiographic measurements were pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt (PT), lumbar lordosis, L4-S1 lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, sagittal vertical axis, PI-LL mismatch, and proximal junction cobb angle at upper instrumented vertebrae + 2 (UIV+2). PROMs were Oswestry disability index, numeric rating scale (NRS) Back Pain, NRS Leg Pain, RAND SF-36 pain, and RAND SF-36 physical functioning. Included patients were adults and had at least 2-years of postoperative follow-up. Descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis was performed with α = 0.05. RESULTS: Patients with a BMI ≥ 30 (n=63) and patients with a BMI < 30 (n=57) demonstrated comparable improvements (P>0.05) for all spinopelvic radiographic measurements and PROMs. Each cohort demonstrated significant improvements from pre-assessment to post-assessment on nearly all spinopelvic radiographic measurements and PROMs (P<0.05), except PT and L4-S1 lordosis where neither group improved (p=0.95 and 0.58 for PT and P=0.23 and 0.11 for L4-S1 lordosis fornon-obese and obese cohorts respectively) and SF-36 physical functioning where the non-obese cohort not statistically improve (P=0.08). Patients with a BMI ≥ 30 demonstrated an increased incidence of cardiovascular complications (P=0.0293), acute kidney injury (P=0.0241), rod fractures (P=0.0293), and reoperations (P=0.0241) when compared to patients with a BMI < 30. CONCLUSION: This study adds to a growing body of evidence linking demographic factors with risks of hardware failure. Further, this data challenges the assumption that obese patients may not receive sufficient benefit to be long-segment surgical candidates. However, given their elevated risk for post-operative and delayed hardware complications, obese patients should be appropriately counseling before undergoing surgery.

Clinical Relevance of Painful Congenital Early-onset Scoliosis: A Magnetic Resonance Image-based Study.

BACKGROUND: Back pain, as a clinical marker in scoliosis, has been associated with underlying pathology for many years, warranting further magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Failures of segmentation, mixed defects, female gender, rib anomalies, congenital thoracic anomalies, and neurocutaneous markers are known risk factors for abnormal MRI pathology findings in patients with congenital early-onset scoliosis (Congenital-EOS). Yet, back pain has not been evaluated as a risk factor for underlying MRI pathology in patients with Congenital-EOS. This study aimed to assess back pain as a risk factor for underlying pathology in Congenital-EOS using MRI as a diagnostic tool. METHODS: A retrospective database review from the Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG) of all patients with Congenital-EOS who reported a back pain complaint, and underwent a spinal MRI study before surgical intervention was performed. Patients were divided into those with an underlying MRI pathology and those without. Demographics were compared between groups. RESULTS: From a total of 2355 patients with Congenital-EOS registered in PSSG, 107 patients reported a back pain complaint, with only 42 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria (being evaluated with an MRI study). Overall group mean age was 8.1±4.5 years, with 25 of the 42 patients (60%) being females. Twenty-four of 42 patients (57%) had a comorbidity reported such as cardiac problems, musculoskeletal complaints, neurological deficits/myelopathy, gastrointestinal symptoms, developmental delay, respiratory problems, craniofacial abnormalities, and chromosomal conditions. An underlying MRI pathology was found in 21 of 42 patients with Congenital-EOS (50%) with back pain. The underlying MRI pathologies found were tethered spinal cord, spinal canal stenosis, syringomyelia, Arnold-Chiari malformation, and arachnoid cyst. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal MRI findings are common in patients with Congenital-EOS who report back pain. Gender, age, major coronal curve angle, thoracic or lumbar predominance deformity, and comorbidities type or amount were not associated with abnormal MRI findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II-Prognostic study.

Spine MRI Identifies Clinically Relevant Findings in Patients With Cancer Presenting With Back Pain.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to identify the diagnostic yield of spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting malignant pathology in cancer patients with back pain. We also sought to evaluate the role of MRI extent ( i.e. regional vs. total) in identifying malignant pathology. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: No prior study has systematically investigated the yield of spine MRI in a large cohort of cancer patients. METHODS: Spine MRI reports from 2017 to 2021 for back pain (acute and nonspecified chronicity) in cancer patients were reviewed to identify clinically relevant findings: malignant (1) epidural, (2) leptomeningeal, (3) intramedullary, (4) osseous disease, and (5) fracture. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between MRI extent and the presence of cancer-related findings. For patients with multiple MRIs, short-interval scans (≤4 mo) were evaluated to assess the yield of repeat imaging. RESULTS: At least one cancer-related finding was identified on 52% of 5989 spine MRIs ordered for back pain and 57% of 1130 spine MRIs ordered specifically for acute back pain. The most common pathology was malignant osseous disease (2545; 43%). Across all five categories, most findings (77%-89%) were new/progressive. Odds of identifying a finding were significantly higher with total versus regional spine MRIs ( P <0.001). Although only 14 patients had a positive regional MRI followed shortly by a positive total spine MRI, most of these repeat total spine MRIs (78%) identified findings outside the scope of the initial regional scan. Twenty-one patients had both computed tomography and MRI within 30 days of each other; eight (38%) had compression fractures appreciated on MRI but not on computed tomography. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest imaging the total spine in cancer patients with back pain given higher odds of identifying malignant pathology and instances of capturing otherwise not visualized disease. Further work is warranted to confirm these findings.

Strong Association of Depression and Anxiety With the Presence of Back Pain While Impact of Spinal Imaging Findings is Limited: Analysis of an MRI Cohort Study.

Development of back pain is multifactorial, and it is not well understood which factors are the main drivers of the disease. We therefore applied a machine-learning approach to an existing large cohort study data set and sought to identify and rank the most important contributors to the presence of back pain amongst the documented parameters of the cohort. Data from 399 participants in the KORA-MRI (Cooperative health research in the region Augsburg-magnetic resonance imaging) (Cooperative Health Research in the Region Augsburg) study was analyzed. The data set included MRI images of the whole body, including the spine, metabolic, sociodemographic, anthropometric, and cardiovascular data. The presence of back pain was one of the documented items in this data set. Applying a machine-learning approach to this preexisting data set, we sought to identify the variables that were most strongly associated with back pain. Mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the underlying mechanisms of the identified associations. We found that depression and anxiety were the 2 most selected predictors for back pain in our model. Additionally, body mass index, spinal canal width and disc generation, medium and heavy physical work as well as cardiovascular factors were among the top 10 most selected predictors. Using mediation analysis, we found that the effects of anxiety and depression on the presence of back pain were mainly direct effects that were not mediated by spinal imaging. In summary, we found that psychological factors were the most important predictors of back pain in our cohort. This supports the notion that back pain should be treated in a personalized multidimensional framework. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents a wholistic approach to the problem of back pain. We found that depression and anxiety were the top predictors of back pain in our cohort. This strengthens the case for a multidimensional treatment approach to back pain, possibly with a special emphasis on psychological factors.

Ultrasound-guided procedures for the management of chronic thoracic back pain: a technical review.

Pain arising from the thoracic region has been reported to be potentially as debilitating as cervical or lumbar back pain, and may stem from a vast number of spinal sources, including zygapophysial, costovertebral and costotransverse joints, intervertebral discs, ligaments, fascia, muscles, and nerve roots. Over the last two decades, the use of ultrasound in interventional spinal procedures has been rapidly evolving, due to the ultrasound capabilities of visualizing soft tissues, including muscle layers, pleura, nerves, and blood vessels, allowing for real-time needle tracking, while also reducing radiation exposure to both patient and physician, when compared to traditional fluoroscopy guidance. However, its limitations still preclude it from being the imaging modality of choice for some thoracic spinal procedures, notably epidural (interlaminar and transforaminal approaches) and intradiscal injections. In this technical review, we provide an overview of five thoracic spinal injections that are amenable to ultrasound guidance. We start by discussing their clinical utility, followed by the relevant topographic anatomy, and then provide an illustrated technical description of each of the procedures discussed: (1) erector spinae plane block; (2) intra-articular thoracic zygapophyseal (facet) joint injection; (3) thoracic medial branch block; (4) costotransverse joint injection; and (5) costovertebral joint injection.

A mixed methods study to uncover impediments to accurate diagnosis of nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis in the USA.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Delayed diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is well documented; little is known about the diagnostic journey and impediments for US patients with nonradiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA). It is hypothesized that impediments are varied and exist at both the healthcare provider (HCP) and patient levels. This study aims to understand patient experiences and contributors to delayed nr-axSpA diagnosis in the USA. METHOD: Interviews of adults with rheumatologist-diagnosed nr-axSpA, recruited through Spondylitis Association of America outreach and patient panels, and of rheumatologists, explored the diagnostic journey and diagnostic barriers. Emerging themes were further explored in an online patient survey. A multiple logistic regression analysis evaluated the main outcome variable, factors affecting time to nr-axSpA diagnosis. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 25 patients and 16 rheumatologists. Survey responses from 186 eligible patients revealed median time from symptom onset to diagnosis of nr-axSpA was 3.25 years. Delayed diagnosis was significantly more likely for women and people in rural areas. Most patients consulted ≥4 different types of HCPs before a rheumatologist and ≥2 rheumatologists before diagnosis. Impediments to timely diagnosis included insidious chronic pain; episodic symptom patterns attributed to activity; symptoms other than chronic lumbosacral back pain requiring medical consultation; and unfamiliarity with and misperceptions about nr-axSpA among HCPs, radiologists, and rheumatologists. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed nr-axSpA diagnosis is common and reflects HCP knowledge gaps and frequent patient presentation with dominant nonaxial symptoms. Targeted HCP education, research into early disease patterns, and interventions sensitive to the broader spectrum of nr-axSpA manifestations are needed to improve timely diagnosis. Key Points • Patients with nr-axSpA often see multiple types of HCPs, and multiple rheumatologists, before receiving a diagnosis. • Both patients and HCPs are unfamiliar with nr-axSpA and its symptoms, lacking understanding that nr-axSpA can occur in young people, females, and those presenting with normal x-rays. • Disease recognition by nonrheumatology HCPs is key for early referral. • Education on cardinal features, epidemiology, burden, and benefits of timely nr-axSpA diagnosis is warranted for HCPs who commonly manage back pain.

[An MRI for Every Patient with Back Pain?] / Jedem Rückenpatienten sein MRI?

An MRI for Every Patient with Back Pain? Abstract. Imaging in spinal disorders has changed in the past years. Improved MRI techniques allow for better image interpretation. Unchanged, however, close correlation between clinical evaluation and imaging results remains crucial for correct diagnoses and subsequent therapeutical decisions. Reimbursement cuts have made MRI more affordable in Switzerland while being widely available. This allows - if used according to guidelines - for optimal treatment of patients with spinal disorders.

Radiographic abnormalities of the thoracolumbar spinous processes do not differ between yearling and trained Thoroughbred horses without perceived back pain.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of radiographic abnormalities of the interspinous spaces (ISSs) in the thoracolumbar vertebral column of unbroken yearlings and to compare these findings with a group of older trained Thoroughbred horses without perceived back pain. ANIMALS: Yearlings (n = 47) and trained horses (55); 102 total. PROCEDURES: Each horse underwent a digital radiographic study of the thoracolumbar vertebral column (T7-L3) and each space graded for narrowing of the ISSs, increased opacity, radiolucency, and modeling of the cranial and caudal margins of 2 contiguous dorsal spinous processes (DSPs). This generated both an individual anatomical space score for each space and a total score for each horse for subsequent comparison. Statistical analysis of the results was then undertaken. RESULTS: Narrowing and impingement were detected in a third of the examined ISSs, while DSP increased opacity, radiolucencies, and modeling were found in over half of the yearlings. The median total score per horse was 33 (0 to 96) in the yearlings and 30 (0 to 101) in trained horses, indicating no significant difference in radiographic abnormalities (P = .91). Likewise, the median total score per anatomical space was 112 (25 to 259) and 127.5 (24 to 284) in the yearlings and trained horses (P = .83). No differences were found between the groups for number of radiographic abnormalities, scores, and total score. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study reported the incidence of DSP radiographic abnormalities in Thoroughbred horses. The absence of difference in occurrence between yearlings and older horses supported a developmental rather than acquired etiology.

Role of Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Imaging in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Neck or Back Pain Caused by Spinal Degeneration: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic neck or back pain is a common clinical problem. The most likely cause is degenerative change, whereas other causes are relatively rare. There is increasing evidence on using hybrid single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to identify the pain generator in spine degeneration. This systematic review explores the diagnostic and therapeutic evidence on chronic neck or back pain examined by SPECT. METHODS: This review is reported in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. In October 2022, we searched the following sources: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and 3 other sources. Titles and abstracts were screened and classified into diagnostic studies, facet block studies, and surgical studies. We synthesized the results narratively. RESULTS: The search yielded 2347 records. We identified 10 diagnostic studies comparing SPECT or SPECT/computed tomography (CT) with magnetic resonance imaging, CT, scintigraphy, or clinical examination. Furthermore, we found 8 studies comparing the effect of facet block intervention in SPECT-positive and SPECT-negative patients with cervicogenic headache, neck pain, and lower back pain. Five surgical studies describing the effect of fusion for facet arthropathy in the craniocervical junction, subaxial cervical spine, or the lumbar spine were identified. CONCLUSIONS: According to the available literature, a positive finding on SPECT in facet arthropathy is associated with a significantly higher facet blockade effect. Surgical treatment of positive findings has a good effect, but this has not been confirmed by controlled studies. SPECT/CT might therefore be a useful method in the evaluation of patients with neck or back pain, especially in cases of unclear findings or multiple degenerative changes.

White matter microstructure predicts measures of clinical symptoms in chronic back pain patients.

Chronic back pain (CBP) has extensive clinical and social implications for its sufferers and is a major source of disability. Chronic pain has previously been shown to have central neural factors underpinning it, including the loss of white matter (WM), however traditional methods of analyzing WM microstructure have produced mixed and unclear results. To better understand these factors, we assessed the WM microstructure of 50 patients and 40 healthy controls (HC) using diffusion-weighted imaging. The data were analyzed using fixel-based analysis (FBA), a higher-order diffusion modelling technique applied to CBP for the first time here. Subjects also answered questionnaires relating to pain, disability, catastrophizing, and mood disorders, to establish the relationship between fixelwise metrics and clinical symptoms. FBA determined that, compared to HC, CBP patients had: 1) lower fibre density (FD) in several tracts, specifically the right anterior and bilateral superior thalamic radiations, right spinothalamic tract, right middle cerebellar peduncle, and the body and splenium of corpus callosum; 2) higher FD in the genu of corpus callosum; and 3) lower FDC - a combined fibre density and cross-section measure - in the bilateral spinothalamic tracts and right anterior thalamic radiation. Exploratory correlations showed strong negative relationships between fixelwise metrics and clinical questionnaire scores, especially pain catastrophizing. These results have important implications for the intake and processing of sensory data in CBP that warrant further investigation.

Ultrasound-Guided Trigger Point Injections for the Treatment of Neck and Back Pain in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVES: Patients frequently present to the emergency department (ED) with neck or back pain, which can be difficult to treat. We sought to compare ultrasound-guided trigger point injection (TPI) to standard medications for patients with neck or back pain. METHODS: We performed a single-center, open label, randomized controlled trial on ED patients with neck or back pain from myofascial pain syndrome comparing ultrasound-guided TPIs to those who received the combination of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and a muscle relaxant (MR). The primary outcome of this study was the reduction in mean pain score at the time of ED disposition. RESULTS: In total, we analyzed 196 patients. At the time of ED disposition, patients in the TPI group had a mean reduction in their pain scores of 45.0 mm as compared to 49.9 mm in the NSAID plus MR group (difference: 4.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) -3.0 to 12.7], P = .22). At the first reassessment, patients in the TPI group had greater pain reduction by 10.7 mm (95% CI 3.1 to 18.4). The rate of rescue therapy use was higher in the NSAID plus MR group (difference: 17.5% [95% CI 4.4 to 36.2]). CONCLUSIONS: We found no difference in pain reduction at the time of ED disposition between patients randomized to the ultrasound-guided TPI group as compared to those who received an NSAID plus a MR. However, patients in the TPI group had greater pain reduction at the time of first reassessment and lower rates of rescue therapy use.

Identifying Axial Spondyloarthritis in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Computed Tomography.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is hampered by diagnostic delay. Computed tomography (CT) undertaken for nonmusculoskeletal (non-MSK) indications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) offers an opportunity to identify sacroiliitis for prompt rheumatology referral. This study aims to identify what proportion of patients with IBD who underwent abdominopelvic CT for non-MSK indications have axSpA and to explore the role of a standardized screening tool to prospectively identify axSpA on imaging. METHODS: Abdominopelvic CT scans of patients with verified IBD, aged 18 to 55 years, performed for non-MSK indications were reviewed by radiologists for the presence of CT-defined sacroiliitis (CTSI), using criteria from a validated CT screening tool. All patients identified were sent a screening questionnaire, and those with self-reported chronic back pain (CBP), CBP duration of greater than 3 months, and age of onset of less than 45 years were invited for rheumatology review. RESULTS: CTSI was identified in 60 out of 301 (19.9%) patients. Out of these 60 patients, 32 (53%) responded to an invitation to participate, and 27 out of 32 (84.3%) were enrolled. Of these, 8 had a preexisting axSpA diagnosis and 5 did not report CBP. In total, 14 patients underwent rheumatology assessment, and 3 out of 14 (21.4%, 95% CI 4.7-50.8) had undiagnosed axSpA. In total, 11 out of 27 (40.7%, 95% CI 22.4-61.2) patients had a rheumatologist-verified diagnosis of axSpA. CONCLUSION: In this study, 5% (3/60) of patients with IBD undergoing abdominopelvic CT for non-MSK indications with CTSI were found to have undiagnosed axSpA and, overall, 18.3% (11/60) were found to have axSpA. This reveals a significant hidden population of axSpA and highlights the need for a streamlined pathway from sacroiliitis detection to rheumatology referral.

Spinal neurovascular coupling is preserved despite time-dependent alterations of spinal cord blood flow responses in a rat model of chronic back pain: implications for functional spinal cord imaging.

ABSTRACT: Functional magnetic resonance imaging has been used to investigate nociceptive processes in patients with chronic pain. However, the results may be confounded with changes in neurovascular coupling induced by chronic pain. The objective of this study was to examine spinal neurovascular coupling in a rat model of chronic back pain induced by muscle inflammation. Rats received 150 µL intramuscular injections of either complete Freund adjuvant (CFA: n = 18) or saline (control [CTL]: n = 18) in L5-L6 paravertebral muscles. Under 1.2% isoflurane anesthesia, spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) and local field potentials evoked by electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve were recorded simultaneously in the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord, 14 or 28 days after the injections. Mechanical hypersensitivity was observed in CFA rats compared with CTL rats for the back ( P < 0.001) and hind paws ( P < 0.01). Spinal cord blood flow response amplitude and local field potential amplitude were not significantly different between groups (day 14: P > 0.5; day 28: P > 0.6). However, the time course of SCBF responses was different between groups on day 14 ( P < 0.001) and day 28 ( P < 0.001). Nevertheless, neurovascular coupling was comparable between groups on days 14 and 28, whether neurovascular coupling was calculated with the amplitude or the area under the curve of SCBF responses (all P > 0.2). These results indicate that spinal hemodynamic changes reflect neuronal activity in this animal model, although the time course of SCBF responses is affected by chronic inflammatory back pain. This warrants a careful use of spinal functional magnetic resonance imaging in animal models and patients with chronic back pain.

Rationale for fluoroscopic guidance in spine injections.

Spine injections are commonly performed in the treatment of back pain. The purpose of this article is to review the current literature surrounding image guided spine injections focusing on scenarios where fluoroscopic guidance can be advantageous in addition to discussing similarities among the different modalities.

Dolor de espalda. Generalidades en su diagnóstico y tratamiento / Generalities of Back Pain in Diagnosis And Treatment

Introducción: El dolor de espalda es un síntoma frecuente y de distribución universal que afecta a personas de cualquier edad y de ambos sexos. El 80 % de la población presentará un dolor de espalda en algún momento de su vida. Los procesos agudos son autolimitados y se resuelven en el plazo de unas semanas, excepto algunos casos que se cronifican y requieren asistencia médica continuada. Los cuadros crónicos son más frecuentes en edades comprendidas entre 45 y 65 años y en el sexo femenino. Objetivo: Actualizar los elementos generales relacionados con el diagnóstico y tratamiento del dolor de espalda. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión detallada en la literatura en relación al dolor de espalda en cuanto a su diagnóstico y tratamiento. Se obtuvo literatura actualizada en las bases de datos Cumed, Ibec, Lilac, Pubmed/Medline, Scopus y Wholis. Se hizo una revisión del tema fundamentalmente de los últimos 5 años. Conclusiones: El dolor de espalda es un síntoma frecuente y de distribución universal que afecta a personas de cualquier edad y de ambos sexos. Las recomendaciones presentadas están basadas en la mejor evidencia disponible, con la intención de estandarizarlas para el tratamiento del dolor de espalda en la Atención Primaria de Salud y para el tratamiento farmacológico y no farmacológico(AU)

Introduction: Back pain is a frequent and universally distributed symptom that affects people of any age and of both sexes. 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Acute processes are self-limiting and resolve within a few weeks, except for some cases that become chronic and require continued medical care. Chronic symptoms are more frequent in ages between 45 and 65 years and in the female sex. Objective: To update the general elements related to the diagnosis and treatment of back pain. Methods: A detailed review of the literature was carried out in relation to back pain in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Updated literature was retrieved from Cumed, Ibec, Lilac, Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, and Wholis databases. A review of the subject was made fundamentally of the last 5 years. Conclusions: Back pain is a frequent and universally distributed symptom that affects persons of any age and both sexes. The recommendations are based on the best available evidence, with the intention of standardizing them for treating back pain in Primary Health Care and for pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment(AU)

Spine abnormalities associated with bone edema on sacroiliac joints MRI in patients with non-inflammatory chronic back pain.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether bone marrow edema (BME) fulfilling the ASAS definition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sacroiliitis is associated with non-inflammatory spine abnormalities in patients with definite mechanical chronic back pain (CBP). METHODS: Patients with definite mechanical CBP, according to the physician, started before the age of 45 and be lasting for more than 3months but less than 3years underwent a protocolized MRI and radiographs of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and spine. BME and structural changes were scored, by three readers, for SIJ as well as non-inflammatory abnormalities for spine, including degenerative lesions and static disorders. Univariate analysis by Chi2 test was performed to search a statistical association between BME fulfilling the ASAS definition of MRI sacroiliitis and the presence of at least one non-inflammatory spine abnormality. RESULTS: A total of 94 patients were analyzed, 27 (29%) patients had BME and 16 (17%) patients had BME fulfilling the ASAS definition of MRI sacroiliitis; 86 (91.5%) patients had at least one non-inflammatory spine abnormality which are associated into 3 distinct clusters. BME was slightly more frequent at the lower and posterior part of the SIJ. MRI sacroiliitis was associated with interspinous bursitis, facet joint effusion and lateral spinal deviation and was more likely in patients with at least one non-inflammatory spine abnormality (OR: 4.96, 95% CI [1.47; 16.72]). CONCLUSIONS: BME fulfilling the ASAS definition of MRI sacroiliitis is significantly associated with non-inflammatory spine abnormalities in patients with mechanical CBP.

Corticostriatal circuits in the transition to chronic back pain: The predictive role of reward learning.

Connectivity between the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and reward learning independently predict the transition from acute to chronic back pain (CBP). However, how these predictors are related remains unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigate NAc- and vmPFC-dependent reward learning in 50 patients with subacute back pain (SABP) and follow them over 6 months. Additionally, we compare 29 patients with CBP and 29 pain-free controls to characterize mechanisms of reward learning in the chronic stage. We find that the learning-related updating of the value of reinforcement (prediction error) in the NAc predicts the transition to chronicity. In CBP, compared with controls, vmPFC responses to this prediction error signal are decreased, but increased during a discriminative stimulus. Distinct processes of reward learning in the vmPFC and NAc characterize the development and maintenance of CBP. These could be targeted for the prevention and treatment of chronic pain.