title: Significance of Gd-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for lumbar disc herniation: the relationship between nerve root enhancement and clinical manifestations.
abstract: Gd-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can depict not only the morphology but also the pathological changes of a nerve root compressed by herniated disc. Enhanced MR imaging was performed on 115 patients treated surgically for lumbar disc herniation. Nerve root enhancement was seen in 39.1% of the patients preoperatively and in 58.7% postoperatively. Preoperative root enhancement reflects the radicular pain intensity rather than the degree of neurological deficits, whereas postoperative enhancement did not correlate with the radicular symptoms. Nerve root enhancement represents an intraneural edema in the affected nerve root. Enhanced MR imaging is a potential method for the identification of an affected nerve root in patients with a discrepancy between the level of disc herniation and neurological manifestations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Hokkaido, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taneichi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abumi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaneda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Terae
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D004369:Pentetic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA