spondylolisthesis LSBU

Description: Radiology case 338-776 Clinical presentation: 58 year old obese woman with pain in the back.
There is forward slip of L4 on L5. and sclerosis of the lower lumbar facet joint margins with reduced joint space. Some spurring of the margins of the adjacent vertebrae is also present, implying instability. The relative size and density of lateral masses and the shortness of the pedicles of L5 imply probable lateral recess narrowing. This might pose problems, if there were any nerve root compression, since any laminectomy will contribute to the instability.