Grading Systems of Lumbar Facet Joint Inflammatory Changes on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Scoping Review

A scoping review.

We aimed to identify and characterize grading systems of the inflammatory features of the lumbar facet joints (FJs) noted on magnetic resonance imaging and summarize their reliability.

Chronic low back pain is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide and is frequently accompanied by FJ osteoarthritis. Inflammatory changes in the lumbar FJs are commonly noted in imaging studies of patients with FJ osteoarthritis and low back pain. Several grading systems for these inflammatory changes have been developed. However, these grading system's features and reliability have yet to be reviewed.

We performed a literature search of studies reporting grading systems for FJ inflammatory changes published in English or Spanish between 1985 and 2022. We collected data on reported interreader reliability measures of each grading system. Finally, we compared the features of inflammation described by each system.

Six studies met the inclusion criteria and were used in our analysis. Features commonly graded in these systems are the hyperintensity signal noted within the FJ, bone marrow edema, and the extent of the soft-tissue edema surrounding the FJs. We found that the interreader reliability measures ranged from 0.56 to 0.96.

Only 6 studies have reported methods for documenting inflammation in the FJs. Studies varied in the precise tissues and phenomena included in the grading systems. However, the systems were generally reliable. Future studies should document the reliability of these methods when independent investigators are not involved in developing the classification schemes. Further work might combine one or more of these measures to establish a standard and reliable grading system for inflammatory changes in the FJs, including signal intensity within the joint, bone marrow edema, and soft-tissue inflammation.