Female, 43 years old, with low back pain. Spinal alignment is anatomic with the exception of a very slight retrolisthesis of L5 relative to S1. Vertebral body morphology and signal characteristics are within normal limits.The visualized spinal cord, conus and cauda equina are unremarkable.Facet hypertrophy develops progressively at lower lumbar levels becoming marked at L4-5 and L5-S1. Disc degeneration with disc bulging and a very small central protrusion are evident at L5-S1. These findings cause no significant spinal canal stenosis, though there is severe right and moderate left foraminal narrowing at this level.The remaining lumbar discs are within normal limits. No significant spinal canal stenosis is seen. Mild narrowing of the right L4-5 neural foramen is evident secondary to posterior element hypertrophy.
1.Facet hypertrophy at lower lumbar levels, most severely affecting L4-5 and L5-S1.2.Disc degeneration at L5-S1 with mild disc bulging and a very small central disc protrusion. No spinal canal stenosis is evident at this level, though the right neural foramen is severely narrowed and the left is moderately narrowed.3.No significant findings are evident elsewhere in the lumbar spine.