Study On The Diagnosis Of Lumbosacral Epidural Lipomatosis

Purpose:With the expansion of the obese population and the increasing use of exogenous glucocorticoids,epidural lipomatosis is gradually coming into people's attention.Patients with lumbar epidural lipomatosis are not rare in patients with low back pain.We study the incidence of lumbosacral epidural lipomatosis in patients with lumbocrural pain,analyze the epidemiological characteristics and its common causes,and explore the correlation between imaging findings and diagnosis.Methods:In this study of 2911 patients(1151 men and 1760 women;mean age 59.5 years)between Jun 2014 and May 2015,we measured and analyzed their imaging data according to the classification system of SEL proposed by Borréet al.A follow-up study was performed in Grade II and Grade III patients for their symptoms,medication history and BMI index.Results:Grade III SEL was diagnosed in 19 patients(0.65%)(male11patients,female 8 patients),which was similar to those reported in the literature.In the 17 patients of severe SEL,7 were obese(BMI?27.5kg/m~2),and 2 had a history of chronic steroid use.Conclusion:SEL should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with neurologic symptoms,especially when the patients had a history of chronic steroid use or an increased BMI.