title: MR imaging of the postoperative lumbar spine.
abstract: The greatest costs associated with lower back pain occur in patients who have pain longer than three months and those with recurrent episodes of disabling pain. For these groups, evaluation by MR imaging is critical because it provides evidence for continued pain and functional incapacitation in 19% of cases. The causes of delayed recurrence of lower back and sciatic pain are multiple and include arachnoiditis, epidural fibrosis, facet osteoarthritic degenerative change, instability, new intervertebral disc herniation, spinal stenosis (lateral or central, from postoperative bony overgrowth), and vertebral osteomyelitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA. jstuartr@aol.com
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D001100:Arachnoiditis / Q000175:diagnosis; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000175:diagnosis; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000175:diagnosis; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012585:Sciatica / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D013166:Spondylitis / Q000175:diagnosis