U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Abnormality of spinal facet joint

MedGen UID:
905295
•Concept ID:
C4280735
•
Finding
Synonyms: Abnormality of apophyseal joint; Abnormality of Z-joint; Abnormality of zygapophyseal joint; Abnormality of zygapophysial joint
 
HPO: HP:0030870

Definition

An anomaly of the small joints located between and behind adjacent vertebrae. [from HPO]

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Progressive basilar invagination after transoral odontoidectomy: treatment by atlantoaxial facet distraction and craniovertebral realignment.
Goel A
Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2005 Sep 15;30(18):E551-5. doi: 10.1097/01.brs.0000179414.64741.7b. PMID: 16166884
The management of unilateral lateral mass/facet fractures of the subaxial cervical spine: the use of magnetic resonance imaging to predict instability.
Halliday AL, Henderson BR, Hart BL, Benzel EC
Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 1997 Nov 15;22(22):2614-21. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199711150-00007. PMID: 9399446
Percutaneous procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of lower back pain: diskography, facet-joint injection, and epidural injection.
el-Khoury GY, Renfrew DL
AJR Am J Roentgenol 1991 Oct;157(4):685-91. doi: 10.2214/ajr.157.4.1832511. PMID: 1832511

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

High field structural MRI in the management of degenerative cervical myelopathy.
Wright D, Martin S, Pereira EA, Kong Y, Tracey I, Cadoux-Hudson T
Br J Neurosurg 2018 Dec;32(6):595-598. Epub 2018 Apr 24 doi: 10.1080/02688697.2018.1467371. PMID: 29688066
Lumbar Facet Tropism: A Comprehensive Review.
Alonso F, Kirkpatrick CM, Jeong W, Fisahn C, Usman S, Rustagi T, Loukas M, Chapman JR, Oskouian RJ, Tubbs RS
World Neurosurg 2017 Jun;102:91-96. Epub 2017 Mar 6 doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2017.02.114. PMID: 28279769
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (Forestier-Rotes-Querol disease): what's new?
Mazières B
Joint Bone Spine 2013 Oct;80(5):466-70. Epub 2013 Apr 6 doi: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2013.02.011. PMID: 23566663
Biomechanics of the spine. Part II: spinal instability.
Izzo R, Guarnieri G, Guglielmi G, Muto M
Eur J Radiol 2013 Jan;82(1):127-38. Epub 2012 Oct 22 doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2012.07.023. PMID: 23088878
Postvertebroplasty instability.
Nagad P, Rawall S, Kundnani V, Mohan K, Patil SS, Nene A
J Neurosurg Spine 2012 Apr;16(4):387-93. Epub 2012 Jan 6 doi: 10.3171/2011.12.SPINE11671. PMID: 22225486

Diagnosis

The profile of the spinal column in subjects with lumbar developmental spinal stenosis.
Lai MKL, Cheung PWH, Samartzis D, Karppinen J, Cheung KMC, Cheung JPY
Bone Joint J 2021 Apr;103-B(4):725-733. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.103B4.BJJ-2020-1792.R1. PMID: 33789478
High field structural MRI in the management of degenerative cervical myelopathy.
Wright D, Martin S, Pereira EA, Kong Y, Tracey I, Cadoux-Hudson T
Br J Neurosurg 2018 Dec;32(6):595-598. Epub 2018 Apr 24 doi: 10.1080/02688697.2018.1467371. PMID: 29688066
Ultrasonography of the lumbar spine: sonoanatomy and practical applications.
Darrieutort-Laffite C, Hamel O, Glémarec J, Maugars Y, Le Goff B
Joint Bone Spine 2014 Mar;81(2):130-6. Epub 2014 Mar 4 doi: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2013.10.009. PMID: 24618457
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (Forestier-Rotes-Querol disease): what's new?
Mazières B
Joint Bone Spine 2013 Oct;80(5):466-70. Epub 2013 Apr 6 doi: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2013.02.011. PMID: 23566663
Biomechanics of the spine. Part II: spinal instability.
Izzo R, Guarnieri G, Guglielmi G, Muto M
Eur J Radiol 2013 Jan;82(1):127-38. Epub 2012 Oct 22 doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2012.07.023. PMID: 23088878

Therapy

Endplate defects, not the severity of spinal stenosis, contribute to low back pain in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
Minetama M, Kawakami M, Teraguchi M, Matsuo S, Sumiya T, Nakagawa M, Yamamoto Y, Nakatani T, Nagata W, Nakagawa Y
Spine J 2022 Mar;22(3):370-378. Epub 2021 Sep 30 doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.09.008. PMID: 34600109
The comparison analysis of clinical and radiological features in SAPHO syndrome.
Gao S, Deng X, Zhang L, Song L
Clin Rheumatol 2021 Jan;40(1):349-357. Epub 2020 Jun 5 doi: 10.1007/s10067-020-05187-0. PMID: 32504191
Postvertebroplasty instability.
Nagad P, Rawall S, Kundnani V, Mohan K, Patil SS, Nene A
J Neurosurg Spine 2012 Apr;16(4):387-93. Epub 2012 Jan 6 doi: 10.3171/2011.12.SPINE11671. PMID: 22225486
Therapeutic efficacy of facet joint blocks.
Gorbach C, Schmid MR, Elfering A, Hodler J, Boos N
AJR Am J Roentgenol 2006 May;186(5):1228-33. doi: 10.2214/AJR.04.1042. PMID: 16632710
Percutaneous procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of lower back pain: diskography, facet-joint injection, and epidural injection.
el-Khoury GY, Renfrew DL
AJR Am J Roentgenol 1991 Oct;157(4):685-91. doi: 10.2214/ajr.157.4.1832511. PMID: 1832511

Prognosis

Headaches in hypermobility syndromes: A pain in the neck?
Malhotra A, Pace A, Ruiz Maya T, Colman R, Gelb BD, Mehta L, Kontorovich AR
Am J Med Genet A 2020 Dec;182(12):2902-2908. Epub 2020 Sep 17 doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61873. PMID: 32940405
Posterior Branches of Lumbar Spinal Nerves - Part I: Anatomy and Functional Importance.
Kozera K, Ciszek B
Ortop Traumatol Rehabil 2016 Jan-Feb;18(1):1-10. doi: 10.5604/15093492.1198827. PMID: 27053304
Biomechanics of the spine. Part II: spinal instability.
Izzo R, Guarnieri G, Guglielmi G, Muto M
Eur J Radiol 2013 Jan;82(1):127-38. Epub 2012 Oct 22 doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2012.07.023. PMID: 23088878
Postvertebroplasty instability.
Nagad P, Rawall S, Kundnani V, Mohan K, Patil SS, Nene A
J Neurosurg Spine 2012 Apr;16(4):387-93. Epub 2012 Jan 6 doi: 10.3171/2011.12.SPINE11671. PMID: 22225486
Therapeutic efficacy of facet joint blocks.
Gorbach C, Schmid MR, Elfering A, Hodler J, Boos N
AJR Am J Roentgenol 2006 May;186(5):1228-33. doi: 10.2214/AJR.04.1042. PMID: 16632710

Clinical prediction guides

Endplate defects, not the severity of spinal stenosis, contribute to low back pain in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
Minetama M, Kawakami M, Teraguchi M, Matsuo S, Sumiya T, Nakagawa M, Yamamoto Y, Nakatani T, Nagata W, Nakagawa Y
Spine J 2022 Mar;22(3):370-378. Epub 2021 Sep 30 doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.09.008. PMID: 34600109
The profile of the spinal column in subjects with lumbar developmental spinal stenosis.
Lai MKL, Cheung PWH, Samartzis D, Karppinen J, Cheung KMC, Cheung JPY
Bone Joint J 2021 Apr;103-B(4):725-733. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.103B4.BJJ-2020-1792.R1. PMID: 33789478
The impact and distinction of 'lipid healthy but obese' and 'lipid abnormal but not obese' phenotypes on lumbar disc degeneration in Chinese.
Shi S, Zhou Z, Liao JJ, Yang YH, Wu JS, Zheng S, He SS
J Transl Med 2020 May 26;18(1):211. doi: 10.1186/s12967-020-02382-0. PMID: 32456662Free PMC Article
Stabilization of the sacroiliac joint.
Shaffrey CI, Smith JS
Neurosurg Focus 2013 Jul;35(2 Suppl):Editorial. doi: 10.3171/2013.V2.FOCUS13273. PMID: 23829837
Biomechanics of the spine. Part II: spinal instability.
Izzo R, Guarnieri G, Guglielmi G, Muto M
Eur J Radiol 2013 Jan;82(1):127-38. Epub 2012 Oct 22 doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2012.07.023. PMID: 23088878

Supplemental Content

Table of contents

    Clinical resources

    Practice guidelines

    • PubMed
      See practice and clinical guidelines in PubMed. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.
    • Bookshelf
      See practice and clinical guidelines in NCBI Bookshelf. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Consumer resources

    Reviews

    Related information

    • PMC Articles
      Related information in PubMed Central Links
    • PubMed
      Related literature resources in PubMed

    Recent activity

    Clear Turn Off Turn On

    Your browsing activity is empty.

    Activity recording is turned off.

    Turn recording back on

    See more...