Neck and low back pain: neuroimaging.
Spine imaging accounts for a major share of expenses related to neck and back pain. Improving image quality translates into better morphologic evaluation of the spine. Unfortunately, the morphologic abnormalities on spine imaging are common and nonspecific, obscuring the relevance to patient symptomatology. Furthermore, distinction between degenerative and age-related changes is not clear. The key is clinical correlation of imaging findings. This article presents a concise and illustrated discussion of spinal neuroimaging related to neck and back pain, with emphasis on degenerative disease.
Ahmed
Manzoor
M
Department of Radiology, Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, 10701 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106-1702, USA. manzoor.ahmed@med.va.gov
Modic
Michael T
MT
D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013131:Spine / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed