Table 7.
Studies evaluating the association between CT imaging pathology and facet pain
| Author, year | Patient population | Design | Results | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiwari et al 2020 [87] | 10 pts were referred for cervical spine CT for reasons unrelated to spinal pain | Cross-sectional | Facet joint arthritis on CT was negatively associated with patient-reported neck pain | Subgroup analysis of only 10 pts |
| Kim et al 2019 [85] | 50 pts who received CT scans for non-spinal pathologies. Pts with neck pain were excluded | Retrospective | 33.4% prevalence of asymptomatic cervical facet arthritis | C6–7 joint was most likely to demonstrate arthritic changes with findings more common among older (≥40 years) pts |
| Rydman et al 2019 [93] | 121 pts who presented to the emergency department for neck pain after MVC with a cervical CT scan performed at admission | Prospective longitudinal | Moderate facet joint degeneration, but not disc degeneration, was associated with persistent pain after 6 months | Regions of mild and severe facet degeneration were not associated with recovery |
| Le Clec’h et al 2016 [97] | 121 pts who underwent cervical IA facet injections based on MRI or CT imaging findings (91 pts) vs palpation for pain (30 pts) | Prospective observational | A greater proportion of pts referred for injections based on pain palpation reported relief for up to 1 month | Cervical facet joint injections were completed under CT guidance |
| Morishita et al 2008 [86] | 215 pts with degenerative disease of the cervical spine | Retrospective | Neck pain was more common among pts with hypertrophic changes in facet joints | Did not control for confounding variables |
| Hechelhammer et al 2007 [96] | 37 pts who underwent 50 cervical IA facet joint injections | Retrospective | No statistically significant difference in pain relief from cervical facet joint blocks based on osteoarthritis grade | IA injections performed under CT guidance. 56% of injections were peri-articular, 40% were peri- and IA, and 4% were IA |
CT, computed tomography; IA, intra-articular; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; MVC, motor vehicle collision; pts, patients.