Incidence of numerical variants and transitional lumbosacral vertebrae on whole-spine MRI

This study sets out to prospectively investigate the incidence of transitional vertebrae and numerical variants of the spine.

Over a period of 28 months, MRIs of the whole spine were prospectively evaluated for the presence of transitional lumbosacral vertebrae and numerical variants of the spine.

MRI of the whole spine was evaluated in 420 patients, comprising 211 female and 209 male subjects. Two patients had more complex anomalies. Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae were seen in 12 patients: eight sacralised L5 (3 male, 5 female) and four lumbarised S1 (3 male, 1 female). The incidence of transitional vertebrae was approximately 3.3. % (14/418). Thirty-two (7.7 %) of 418 patients had numerical variants of mobile vertebrae of the spine without transitional vertebrae. The number of mobile vertebrae was increased by one in 18 patients (12 male, 6 female), and the number was decreased by one in 14 patients (4 male, 10 female).

Numerical variants of the spine are common, and were found to be almost 2.5 times as frequent as transitional lumbosacral vertebrae in the study population. Only whole-spine imaging can identify numerical variants and the anatomical nature of transitional vertebrae. The tendency is toward an increased number of mobile vertebrae in men and a decreased number in women. Main messages • Numerical variants of the spine are more common than transitional vertebrae. • Spinal numerical variants can be reliably identified only with whole-spine imaging. • Increased numbers of vertebrae are more common in men than women. • Transitional lumbosacral vertebrae occurred in about 3.3 % of the study population. • The incidence of numerical variants of the spine was about 7.7 %.