As reported recently on OrthoBuzz, a study by Nian et al. provides novel exploration of microbiota and metabolites in patients with Modic changes—changes in vertebral end plates visible on MRI, which have been associated with lower back pain. The researchers found that, among patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion, the microbiota and metabolites of lumbar cartilaginous end plates differed significantly between patients with and without Modic changes.
Additional insights into the findings—and potential future research directions to help bridge “the grand gap between bench and bedside”—are offered by Dahmen and Kerkhoffs in a commentary now in JBJS: The Microbial Road Trip: Are We Nearing the Golden Era of Orthopaedics?
The study, they note, “may mark a paradigm shift in our current understanding of Modic changes, shedding light on the landscape of the lumbar cartilaginous end plate’s microbiota and metabolites. By unraveling an unexplored association … the study gives us novel usable information on the pathogenesis of Modic changes and can pave the way for specifically targeted therapeutic interventions.” Read the full commentary here.
The study by Nian et al., along with a visual abstract, is available at JBJS.org: Landscape of the Lumbar Cartilaginous End Plate Microbiota and Metabolites in Patients with Modic Changes.
For more on this study, see the press release on OrthoBuzz: Modic changes linked to microbial differences in lumbar spine.
Interested in other spine content? Explore JBJS content by subspecialty: What’s Trending in Spine at JBJS.org