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Expression of Estrogen Receptor of the Facet Joints in Degenerative Spondylolisthesis

Study Design. Immunohistochemical study was done by harvesting articular cartilage of the facet joints during the decompressive surgery for spinal stenosis. Objectives. To observe the expression of estrogen receptor on the articular cartilage of the facet joints in degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) Summary of Background Data. Few attempts have been made to evaluate the effect of sex-hormone, although DS is more common in females than in males. Methods. After harvesting the articular cartilage of the facet joints in 17 DS and in 15 spinal stenosis (SS) patients, the expression of estrogen receptor and the severity of facet arthritis were observed by H-E and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. Measurements of both staining were made by using a semiquantitative analysis. Results. The significantly increased expression of estrogen receptor correlated with the severity of facet arthritis (r = 0.78, P < 0.05). There was a significantly increased expression of estrogen receptor of the facet joint in DS compared with SS (P < 0.01). The histologic-histochemical grading of cartilage lesion in DS was 12.4 (SEM, 0.6), which was significantly higher than in SS (P < 0.05). Conclusions. These findings suggest that the higher expression of estrogen receptor might aggravate degenerative change of the facet articular cartilage and might also be considered one of the causative factors for DS in postmenopausal women.