A QUANTITATIVE IMAGING AND FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR EARLY DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF DEGENERATIVE SPINE CONDITIONS

Abstract

Degenerative spine conditions involve progressive structural deterioration that may substantially affect pain, mobility, and functional capacity. This study evaluated a quantitative framework integrating imaging-derived characteristics with functional measures for early detection and severity assessment of spinal degeneration. A quantitative observational analysis included 320 participants categorized into minimal/no, early, and moderate-to-advanced degeneration groups. Imaging assessment incorporated normalized disc height, spinal canal area, foraminal area, endplate irregularity, and degeneration score, while functional assessment included pain, disability, and mobility. Increasing degeneration severity was associated with reduced disc height, spinal canal area, and foraminal area and with greater endplate irregularity and functional impairment. Degeneration score correlated positively with disability (r = 0.71) and pain (r = 0.64), whereas disc height was inversely associated with disability (r = −0.62). The integrated imaging–functional model achieved an AUC of 0.92, with 88.1% sensitivity, 84.7% specificity, and 86.6% accuracy, exceeding the discriminatory performance of imaging-only and functional-only models. Integration of quantitative structural and functional indicators therefore provides a potentially useful approach for early identification and stratification of degenerative spine conditions.