Lipid Content in Paravertebral Muscles in Patients with Degenerative Diseases of the Spine

The article considers the issue of the content of lipids in the paravertebral muscle of patients with degenerative diseases of the spine. Material and methods. The fragments of paravertebral muscles (m. Multifidus) were selected from 21 patients, 4 of whom had instability of vertebral and motor segments, 4 had hernias of intervertebral discs, 5 were with spondylolisthesis, and 8 persons had stenosis of the spinal canal. The fragments of muscle tissue (m. Multifidus) were removed during decompression and stabilization operations in the course of skeletal development of the vertebrae during access to the lumbar spine in the groups of patients undergoing surgical intervention. To determine the content of total cholesterol, total lipids and phospholipids in the muscle tissue, they were extracted, and the extract was used as a liquid for the study. The content of total lipids in the tissue of paravertebral muscles in patients with vertebral stenosis and spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine was elevated. In cases of hernia and instability of the lumbar spine, the content of total lipids did not differ from the normative indicators. In the tissue of multi-segment muscle, the highest content of total lipids was found in the spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine, indicating an increase in the amount of fatty tissue in the muscles in this category of patients. It is obvious that such an increase in the content of total lipids is due to an increase in the content of muscle tissue of neutral fat, that is, its fatty degeneration, as there is an increase in fat tissue in the muscles, confirmed by a statistical analysis of the results of computer tomography of all paravertebral muscles of the lumbar spine. This can be attributed to the fact that stenosis is the most difficult complication of the spinal osteochondrosis, which often develops after a long period of the disease and is accompanied by a decrease in locomotor activity and a decrease in blood circulation in the muscles. Reduced mobility of the lumbar spine due to prolonged pain syndrome contributes to the delay in paravertebral muscles of high levels of fat, which is one of the leading mechanisms for the development of dystrophic disorders in degenerative diseases of the spine. Thus, the content of phospholipids and cholesterol in tissues of multidisciplinary muscles in patients with degenerative diseases of the spine did not differ from the normative indicators. The highest content of total lipids in multi-segment muscle was observed in patients with spinal canal stenosis and spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine, which can be attributed to the development of muscle fatty degeneration.