Degenerative changes of the sacroiliac auricular joint surface-validation of influential factors

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relevance of degenerative changes in the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and the joints in the lower limb and lumbar spine using age estimation methods. We also examined the shape of the auricular surface to determine the effect of degenerative changes on each joint. A total of 200 iliac auricular surfaces from 100 Japanese male skeletons were examined macroscopically in accordance with conventional methods of age estimation. From the obtained estimated age, we calculated the deflection values, which represented the degree of degenerative changes of the joints. For comparison, we used osteophyte score data of the hip, knee, and zygapophyseal joints in lumbar spines from previous studies which had used the same bone specimens. As a quantitative indicator of auricular surface morphology, we defined the constriction ratio (CR) of the auricular surface and compared the CR values obtained with various measured values. Degenerative changes in the SIJ were positively correlated with those in both the hip joint and zygapophyseal joint, but a correlation with knee joints was found only on the left side. In skeletons from individuals aged ≥60 years as time of death, the CR was significantly different between the group with high scores and those with low scores in both the hip and sacroiliac joints. It has been suggested that degenerative changes in SIJs interact with those in the hip joint and zygapophyseal joint. In addition, the shape of the auricular surface may also be a relevant factor for degenerative changes in these joints.