Question:medium
A 65 year old lady presents with backache. Based on the following radiograph of the spine shown in the image, what should be the most likely diagnosis?
A 65 year old lady presents with backache. Based on the following radiograph of the spine shown in the image, what should be the most likely diagnosis?
Show Hint
A vertebra slipping forward on the one below indicates spondylolisthesis.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Osteoporosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylolysis
- Discitis
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Read the film - it demonstrates one vertebral body displaced forward relative to the adjacent vertebra, with the posterior border of L5 lying anterior to S1, indicating a vertebral slip.
Step 2: A forward translation of a vertebra on the one beneath it defines spondylolisthesis, which is staged by the percentage of slip (Stage I, 0-25%; Stage II, 25-50%, and so on).
Step 3: The underlying lesion is a pars interarticularis defect; in an elderly woman, degenerative osteoarthritis with minor trauma is a typical cause.
Step 4: Exclude the distractors - spondylolysis is merely the pars defect without slip, osteoporosis gives generalised lucency and wedge fractures, and discitis narrows the disc space with endplate erosion. The visible slip points to one diagnosis. \[\boxed{\text{Spondylolisthesis}}\]
Step 2: A forward translation of a vertebra on the one beneath it defines spondylolisthesis, which is staged by the percentage of slip (Stage I, 0-25%; Stage II, 25-50%, and so on).
Step 3: The underlying lesion is a pars interarticularis defect; in an elderly woman, degenerative osteoarthritis with minor trauma is a typical cause.
Step 4: Exclude the distractors - spondylolysis is merely the pars defect without slip, osteoporosis gives generalised lucency and wedge fractures, and discitis narrows the disc space with endplate erosion. The visible slip points to one diagnosis. \[\boxed{\text{Spondylolisthesis}}\]
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