Congenital vertebral anomaly#Transitional vertebrae

A transitional vertebra ( syn.. Assimilation vertebrae; engl transitional vertebra, assimilated vertebra ) is a congenital numerical variation at the boundaries of the sections of the spine, which is found in up to 35%. Transitional vertebrae have adopted the shapes and properties of the adjacent vertebral regions.

Typical examples are the sacralization of the 5th lumbar vertebra ( lumbar vertebra ) - in this case, the fifth lumbar vertebra to the first sacral vertebra is fused bone without disc - or lumbalization of the first sacral vertebra, here there is a disc between the first and second sacral vertebrae, so that the first sacral vertebra is functional should be seen rather as an additional (sixth ) lumbar vertebrae.

Clinically relevant transitional vertebrae are special because they are associated with an increased risk that the wrong spinal segments to be operated by a mix of height, or injections are administered at the wrong height. They are also associated with a higher risk of spondylosis of the overlying disc, while the correlation with increased back pain is not safe to manufacture. At least symmetrical transition faults for which the two sides of the vortex are equally affected, increasing the risk of back pain rather not, while asymmetrical transitional vertebrae can be associated more with increased back pain.

Classification of lumbosacral transitional vertebra

This common transition fault, after Castellvi depending on the shape of the transverse processes and their connection are classified to the sacrum in four forms, with higher severity greater sacralization and is lower severity greater lumbalization the transitional vertebra is connected, but this has no correlation to any complaints. The grades 1-3 are also divided, depending on whether the diagnosis is made on one side (A ) or two (B):