The Relationship Between Craniocervical Morphology and the Presence and Level of Cervical Facet Joint Degeneration.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between craniocervical morphology and the presence and level of cervical facet joint degeneration (FJD).

Methods: A total of 108 consecutive female patients aged 45-55 years who had undergone neck + brain CT angiography were included in this retrospective sectional study. Only patients of a certain age and of the same gender were included in order to eliminate the differences that create a disposition to the development of spinal degeneration. The presence of facet joint (FJ) arthritis (grade ≥2 degeneration in at least one affected facet joint) and the grade of the facet joint degeneration for each patient were recorded. A total of 20 lengths and 3 angles of craniocervical morphology were measured. The differences between the individuals with and without FJ arthritis were investigated with the independent-sample t test, and the relationship between the FJD grade and craniocervical morphology was investigated using the Spearman correlation test.

Results: Individuals with FJ arthritis were found to have longer Grabb-Oakes measurement, shorter FM AP length, lower ADI, lower EOP thickness, higher clivus length, higher crista gall-ATS distance, lower CCA angle, lower distance between the C1 vertebra lateral masses, and higher BAI than those without FJ arthritis (P ˂ 0.05). Besides, we found that the FJD grade increased as the Grabb-Oakes measurement increased, ADI distance decreased, FM AP length decreased, EOP thickness decreased, clivus length increased, basal angle increased, distance between the C1 vertebra lateral masses decreased, and BAI increased (P ˂ 0.05).

Conclusions: Differences in craniocervical morphology are statistically associated with degenerative processes that result in degenerative changes in the facet joint. Therefore, some morphological changes in craniocervical anatomy cause changes in the momentum and distribution of the load on the facet joints, predisposing the patient to facet arthropathy and osteoarthritis.