Presence of Dural Pulsation in Patients Diagnosed With Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Overview

Lumbar spinal stenosis is defined as the narrowing of the spinal canal resulting from degenerative changes in the spinal joints, intervertebral discs, and the ligamentum flavum. Pressure fluctuations within the cerebral and spinal vascular systems lead to the formation of pulsations. The periodic occurrence of these pulsations in the dura mater is referred to as spinal dural pulsation.The vibratory movements of the dura mater have been interpreted as an indicator that the spinal cord is freely mobile within the subarachnoid space and not subjected to any external compression.This study aims to investigate whether the presence of dural pulsation is associated with clinical and radiological parameters in patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis

Lomber spinal stenosis is defined as a narrowing of the spinal canal resulting from degenerative changes in the spinal joints, intervertebral discs, and the ligamentum flavum. The reduction in the space surrounding the neurovascular structures may lead to significant clinical symptoms such as neurogenic claudication, radiating pain in the lower extremities, low back pain, and urinary or fecal incontinence. Symptoms often improve when patients sit down or lean forward. However, if the pain induced by standing or walking postures becomes severe, it may impair the ability to perform daily and independent activities. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is the primary imaging modality for the diagnosis of LSS. It provides high sensitivity and specificity in identifying anatomical abnormalities such as disc herniation, facet joint degeneration, and hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum. However, as MRI findings may be influenced by factors such as patient positioning and imaging protocols, the interpretation of MRI should always be correlated with clinical findings in the diagnosis of LSS. Periodic oscillations within the central nervous system occur due to pressure changes in the cerebral and spinal vascular systems. The rhythmic occurrence of these oscillations at the level of the dura mater is referred to as spinal dural pulsation. In previous studies, the vibratory movements of the spinal cord, dura mater, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been observed intraoperatively and evaluated in detail using MRI. Surgeons have interpreted these rhythmic movements of the dura mater as an indication that the spinal cord is freely suspended within the subarachnoid space and not subjected to external compression. This has been considered in earlier studies as a finding correlated with the presence of spinal dural pulsation.In this study, patients will be placed in the prone position, and the presence of dural pulsation will be evaluated using ultrasound. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the presence of spinal dural pulsation and the clinical and radiological findings in patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis. This study has been approved by the Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Non-Pharmaceutical and Non-Medical Device Clinical Trials Ethics Committee with the ethics approval number 09.2025.25-0459.