title: Disc deterioration in low-back syndromes. A prospective, multi-center CT/discography study.
abstract: Disc deterioration and pain provocation in different low-back pain syndromes was studied using computed tomography (CT) discography. Data were prospectively collected for 300 patients (816 discs). Patients were classified by their pre-discography diagnosis of disc herniation (DH), degenerated disc (DD), lumbar syndrome (LS), lumbar radicular syndrome (LRS), or other. The CT/discograms were classified by discographic pain response, the amount of degeneration and annular disruption. Eighty-two percent of DH patients, 80% of DD, 56% of LS, and 59% of LRS patients had both positive discographic pain provocation and moderate or severe disc deterioration. The study indicates that intradiscal pathology plays a major role in nonspecific low-back pain syndromes.
authors.affiliation: Texas Back Institute Research Foundation, Plano.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vanharanta
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Guyer
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ohnmeiss
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Stith
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Sachs
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aprill
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spivey
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Rashbaum
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hochschuler
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Videman
mesh_terms: D001416:Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013577:Syndrome; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media