Barzilai University Medical Center

31 Research Day 2020 Barzilai University Medical Center 17 EFFECT OF THE AORTA ON THORACIC OSTEOPHYTES DEVELOPMENT Azaria Simonovich 1 , Yulia Naveh 1 , Leonid Kalichman 2 1 Department of Radiology, Barzilai University Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel. 2 Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Background A predominance of osteophytes on the right side in the thoracic spine is frequently found, but papers on this subject were published more than half-century ago and none used modern imaging modalities. Osteophytes formation in the thoracic spine and vascular calcification are common in elderly men and women, but it is unclear if there is an association between these findings. Objectives To assess the location and severity of osteophytes on thoracic spine and if thoracic aorta affects the development of osteophytes on the left side; to assess the relationship between thoracic aortic calcification and osteophytes. Methods Thoracic CT scans of 100 individuals were evaluated at T4-T12 spinal levels for presence and severity of osteophytes in right and left side of the vertebra. Calcific deposits in the thoracic aorta (TAC) adjacent to each thoracic vertebra were assessed. Mean length of thoracic osteophytes at each side, TTOS (sum score of osteophyte length at each side) were calculated . Results The study sample comprised of 44 males and 56 females (mean age 66.45). 54 subjects had TAC. Osteophytes at the right size were significantly larger than ones on the left, at each studied spinal level, as well as in TTOS. The largest osteophytes were found at T9, T10 and T11 levels. Age was significantly associated with right TTOS (p=0.016). After adjustment for age there was no significant association between sex and TOSS at the left (p=0.600) and right (p=0.052) sides. After adjustment for age and sex, the right TTOS was significantly associated with TAC (p=0.018) . Conclusions This study confirmed that osteophytes in the thoracic spine are prevalent in older adults. The prevalence and severity of thoracic osteophytes increased with age in both sexes. Osteophytes at the left side of the thoracic spine are significantly less prominent than on the right side, most probably as a result of aorta proximity.