Difference in Lumbar Lordosis Between Supine and Standing Positions: A Comprehensive Indicator of Spinal Sagittal Imbalance and Bone Density.

Abstract

Spino-pelvic parameters are commonly used to assess clinical outcomes in lumbar degenerative diseases, but static measures do not capture dynamic spinal changes. This study investigates the difference in lumbar lordosis (DiLL) between supine and standing positions, reflecting lumbar flexibility and compensation, as a novel indicator of sagittal imbalance and its correlation with bone mineral density (BMD). DiLL was defined as supine lumbar lordosis (LL) minus standing LL. Patients were categorized into DiLL (+) (supine LL > standing LL) and DiLL (-) (supine LL ≤ standing LL) groups. BMD was estimated using Hounsfield Units. Multivariate linear regression and Pearson correlation were used to examine the relationships among DiLL, sagittal parameters, and BMD. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate DiLL's performance in predicting osteoporosis. Among 108 patients, the DiLL (+) group (n = 48) was older, had a smaller thoracolumbar curve, and showed more severe sagittal imbalance, reflected by larger pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) (P < 0.01). Their BMD was lower than that of the DiLL (-) group (P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis identified SVA and BMD as independent predictors of DiLL. Compared to SVA, DiLL demonstrated a stronger correlation with BMD. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated its potential to predict osteoporosis (P = 0.007). DiLL is a new indicator for assessing sagittal alignment and BMD, showing a stronger correlation with BMD than traditional SVA. It could serve as a new reference for preoperative planning and prognosis of lumbar fusion surgery.