J Korean Radiol Soc.  1990 Aug;26(4):645-652. 10.3348/jkrs.1990.26.4.645.

MR imaging of lumbar disc disease

• Kim WJ
• Park BM
• Ahn Y
• Kim DH
• Chung MC
• Choi DL
• Kwon KH
• Kim KJ

• KMID: 2359475
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jkrs.1990.26.4.645

Abstract

MR examination of 86 lumbar discs of surgically confirmed 42 patients were analysed retrospectively. Eighteendiscs were bulgin and 68 were herniation. Forty-eight herniations were protrusione type, 17 were extrusion and 3were free fragment type. L4/5 discs were involved most frequently(35/86) and L5/S1 (27/86), L3/4 (15/86) and L2/3(8/86) were involved. The signal intensity of adjacent vertebral bodies were hypointense on T1 and T2 weightedimages in 18 cases and hypointense on T1 weighted image and hyperintense on T2 weighted image in 13 cases. Thirty-one diseased discs showed hypointensity on both T1 and T2 weighted imags. MR imaging showed excellence inthe diagnosis of disc rupture. Eight of 10 ruptured discs were confirmed surgically. MR diagnoses of forty-seven(87%) discs of surgically confirmed 54 discs were accord with operation findings. However, CT was superior to thediagnosis of facet joint hypertropy and ligamentum flavum thickening. We concluded that MR could be a diagnostic imaging of choice in the evaluation of lumbar disc diseases.

MeSH Terms

Diagnosis
Diagnostic Imaging
Humans
Ligamentum Flavum
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
Retrospective Studies
Rupture
Zygapophyseal Joint