title: Asymptomatic versus symptomatic herniated thoracic discs: their frequency and characteristics as detected by computed tomography after myelography.
abstract: We retrospectively reviewed the myelograms of 433 patients and identified those who had no symptoms or signs referable to the thoracic cord, roots, or nerves. By post-myelography computed tomographic scan criteria, our frequency of asymptomatic thoracic herniated discs (ATHDs) was calculated. Post-myelography computed tomographic scans of 68 ATHDs were analyzed. Their imaging characteristics were compared with our own series of 5 symptomatic thoracic herniated discs and symptomatic thoracic herniated discs in the literature. We were unable to identify any imaging features that could reliably classify a disc as an ATHD or a symptomatic thoracic herniated disc. Our results call into question the propriety of prophylactic surgery for ATHDs, even when the lesions are radiographically impressive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, St. Louis University Medical Center, Missouri.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Awwad
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D009192:Myelography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed