title: Avascular necrosis of the lumbar spine.
abstract: Back pain is ubiquitous. Commonly, the etiology of the back pain remains elusive despite many costly tests. We report a patient with back pain who was found to have avascular necrosis (AVN) of the lumbar spine on the magnetic resonance imaging study despite normal x-rays. AVN, although common in the peripheral skeleton, is not widely recognized in the spine until it is evident on plain radiographs. AVN as a source of back pain should be considered in patients with appropriate risk factors, even with normal radiographs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology (L.B.S.), Department of Medicine (L.B.S., E.M.A.), Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Alva