New Classification for Lumbosacral Spondylolisthesis
Author Information
Author(s): Mac-Thiong Jean-Marc, Labelle Hubert, Parent Stefan, Hresko Michael Timothy, Deviren Vedat, Weidenbaum Mark
Primary Institution: Department of Surgery, University of Montreal
Hypothesis
Can a new classification of lumbosacral spondylolisthesis improve reliability in its assessment?
Conclusion
The study confirmed that surgeons can reliably classify radiographic findings into all eight types of spondylolisthesis, with substantial intra-observer reliability and moderate inter-observer reliability.
Supporting Evidence
- All eight types of spondylolisthesis were identified by the observers.
- Overall intra-observer agreement was 76.7%, indicating substantial reliability.
- Inter-observer agreement was 57%, indicating moderate reliability.
- Specific intra-observer agreement for slip grade was 97.1%, showing high reliability.
- Disagreement was mainly due to difficulty in assessing dysplasia.
Takeaway
Doctors looked at X-rays of patients with back problems to see if they could agree on how to classify the problems, and they found that they mostly could, but sometimes disagreed.
Methodology
Radiographs of 40 subjects with lumbosacral spondylolisthesis were reviewed by six spine surgeons to assess classification reliability.
Potential Biases
Potential bias was minimized by not allowing measurements on the radiographs.
Limitations
The study's inter-observer reliability was moderate, particularly in distinguishing between low- and high-dysplasia.
Participant Demographics
Mean age of participants was 14.7 years, with a mix of low-grade and high-grade spondylolisthesis.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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