Abstract
Objective: To assess the incidence and kinds of incidental findings of the lumbar spine during Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) evaluation for degenerative intervertebral disc disease in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross sectional study included a total of 2646 patients (male-to-female ratio, 1836:810; age range, 21-73 years) with clinically suspected intervertebral disc degeneration who underwent MRI of the lumbar spine and evaluated by the consultant radiologists for the presence of any incidental findings such as hemangioma, Tarlov, lumbosacral transitional vertebrae, and spina bifida occulta. The analysis was carried out using the chi-square test. Results: A total of 1134 patients (42.8 %) had incidental findings. Hemangioma was the most common finding accounting for 20.4% of cases, followed by Tarlov cyst and lumbosacral transitional vertebra were about 8.16%. Lastly, 6.1% of cases gave an incident for spina bifida occulta. Hemangioma, Tarlov cyst, and spina bifida occulta were more common among females. At the same time, the lumbosacral transitional vertebrae were more in males. The current study demonstrated that the incidental findings became more frequent within middle age (36-50 years). Conclusion: incidental findings are mostly benign lesions found at lumbar spine MRI during degenerative intervertebral disc disease evaluation. Some of them have association with gender. The majority of the incidental findings in our study were observed in the 3rd, 4th and 5th decades of life. Discovery of the incidental findings at lumbar spine MRI helps diagnose lesions not related to the presumed disease.