Interventional Spine

Walter, S, Bartynski, MD
William, E, Rothfus, MD, Non ASSR Member

Paper/Non-Mentor

Purpose

The shape of the annular margin is a critical observation consistently used to characterize abnormality of the lumbar disk on CT and MR imaging studies. Abnormal disks also have internal features of annular derangement including radial annular defects (RD: radial annular tears, annular gaps) and annular degeneration (lamellar tears, annular fragmentation, peripheral annular tears.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between disk margin shape and the features of internal disk derangement identified on post-diskogram lumbar CT in significantly painful disks encountered at provocation lumbar diskography.

Methods & Materials

Significantly painful disks were encountered at 207 levels in 140 patients (75 male, 65 female) studied by provocation lumbar diskography where intra-diskal lidocaine was administered to reduce the patientâ