Which type of spondylolisthesis is associated with a pars interarticularis defect?

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Multiple Choice

Which type of spondylolisthesis is associated with a pars interarticularis defect?

Pars interarticularis defects create a stress fracture of the pars, known as spondylolysis. When this defect allows the vertebral body to slip forward, the condition is isthmic spondylolisthesis. This pattern is classic in adolescents and athletes who perform repetitive hyperextension movements, with the pars acting as the hinge that enables anterior slippage, usually at the lumbosacral junction (often L5). Other spondylolisthesis types arise from different mechanisms—dysplastic from congenital facet abnormalities, degenerative from facet joint and disc degeneration in older adults, and traumatic from an acute fracture—but none hinge on a pars defect in the same way. So, a pars interarticularis defect points to isthmic spondylolisthesis.

Pars interarticularis defects create a stress fracture of the pars, known as spondylolysis. When this defect allows the vertebral body to slip forward, the condition is isthmic spondylolisthesis. This pattern is classic in adolescents and athletes who perform repetitive hyperextension movements, with the pars acting as the hinge that enables anterior slippage, usually at the lumbosacral junction (often L5). Other spondylolisthesis types arise from different mechanisms—dysplastic from congenital facet abnormalities, degenerative from facet joint and disc degeneration in older adults, and traumatic from an acute fracture—but none hinge on a pars defect in the same way. So, a pars interarticularis defect points to isthmic spondylolisthesis.

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