High-intensity zone: a diagnostic sign of painful lumbar disc on magnetic resonance imaging.
The prevalence, validity and reliability of high-intensity zones in the annulus fibrosus seen on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of patients with intractable low-back pain were determined. This sign was readily recognized by two independent observers. It occurred in 28% of 500 patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging for back pain. The presence of a high-intensity zone correlated significantly with the presence of Grade 4 annular disruption and with reproduction of the patient's pain. Its sensitivity as a sign of either annular disruption or pain was modest but its specificity was high, and its positive predictive value for a severely disrupted, symptomatic disc was 86%. This sign is diagnostic of painful internal disc disruption.
Aprill
C
C
Diagnostic Conservative Management, New Orleans.
Bogduk
N
N
D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D015588:Observer Variation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed