Cytokine gene expression in ligamentum favum hypertrophy

Aim: Lumbar spinal canal stenosis is a disease is an important reason 
of injury in the elderly and the most important reason of spinal surgery 
in patients above the age of 65. Ligamentum flavum hypertrophy plays 
a critical role in the pathogenesis of lumbar spinal canal stenosis. 
Inflammatory agents induce the ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and 
increased scar tissue formation. Even though its prevalence, lumbar 
spinal stenos does not have a universal definition in this day and age and 
its generally accepted radiologic diagnosis criteria is lacking. Material 
and Methods:  In our study, 25 samples of hypertrophied LF tissue 
were obtained from the patients with the diagnosis of lumbar spinal 
canal stenosis while 25 samples were obtained from the patients who 
underwent surgery for lumbar disc herniation forming control group. 
Samples were investigated for histological study. Lumbar spinal canal 
stenosis and control groups were investigated for the expression of 
inflammatory cytokine genes by semiquantitative RT-PCR method. 
Results: Cytokines were found both in lumbar spinal canal stenosis and 
control groups. Any statistically significant difference was not found 
between lumbar spinal canal stenosis and control groups in terms of 
some cytokines. However, low levels of IL-1 beta were found in lumbar 
spinal canal stenosis group. Conclusions: Spinal canal stenosis is the 
most important reason of pain and decrease in functional capacity in 
elderly patients. Therefore, effective therapeutic strategies are needed. 
Drug resistance is common in fibrotic tissue. Antifibrotic drugs can be 
an important part of a targeted drug development strategy