Common lumbar spine MRI findings in adults with low back pain at Port Moresby General Hospital radiology department, Papua New Guinea.

INTRODUCTION: Back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. The presentation, detection, and characterization of lesions in back pain are sometimes clinically indistinguishable, necessitating the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MRI provides useful information that is likely to affect treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate common findings on MRI in adult patients with low back pain (LBP). METHOD: This is a descriptive study of 31 adult patients from Papua New Guinea (PNG) with LBP symptoms who underwent lumbar spine MRI scans at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) Radiology Department from January 2018 to March 2019. The data collected included age, gender, lumbar spine abnormalities, and affected intervertebral disc levels. The data were retrieved retrospectively from the MRI register books and the Radiologist's reports. Ethical approval was obtained from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Papua New Guinea (Approval No 01,180,319). Further administrative approval to collect data was obtained from PMGH through the Director of Medical Services and Head of the Radiology Department. Data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, and mean values. RESULTS: Back pain was observed in 22 (71%) male patients and 9 (29%) female patients. Disc bulges were the most common lumbar spine abnormality identified among the 31 examined patients: 14 (63.6%) males and 3 (33.3%) females. Patients aged 25-35 years had the highest proportion of disc bulges (60%) compared to the other age categories. CONCLUSION: While findings such as disc bulges and degenerative changes are consistent with previous international literature, this study's contribution is the documentation of lumbar spine MRI findings among adults with LBP in PNG, where published MRI-based epidemiological data remain limited. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the presence of common lumbar spine MRI abnormalities associated with LBP in adults. This finding suggests that multiple factors could predict LBP among adults in PNG. A disc bulge was identified as the dominant abnormality, primarily affecting the area around L4-L5 and L5-S1. Further investigation is warranted in a broader PNG population to determine why this region of the lumbar spine is predominantly affected by LBP. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Low back pain is a common cause of disability, and MRI scans can help identify changes in the spine that may be linked to symptoms. This study reviewed MRI scans from 31 adults in Papua New Guinea who had low back pain to identify the most common findings. This study found that disc bulges were the most frequent spinal abnormality, especially in men, younger adults, and the lower part of the spine. This matters because understanding common MRI findings can help improve knowledge of low back pain in Papua New Guinea and support future research and patient care.