The clinical significance of the high-intensity zone on lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging.
| Autor: | Rankine JJ; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Manchester, Salford, United Kingdom. jrankine@fs1.sdr.man.ac.uk, Gill KP, Hutchinson CE, Ross ER, Williamson JB |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Spine [Spine (Phila Pa 1976)] 1999 Sep 15; Vol. 24 (18), pp. 1913-9; discussion 1920. |
| DOI: | 10.1097/00007632-199909150-00009 |
| Abstrakt: | Study Design: Prospective observational study of anular tears, diagnosed by a high-intensity zone within the anulus on lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging, and correlation with the clinical features. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of high-intensity zones in patients who are investigated for back and leg pain and to determine whether there are clinical features that can be used for diagnosis of the presence of a high-intensity zone. Summary of Background Data: Results in previous studies have shown that the presence of a high-intensity zone is associated with reproduction of a patient's pain on stress discography. Neural compression on magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to be associated with back pain, but to date, no study has correlated the presence of a high-intensity zone with the clinical features. Methods: The lumbar spine magnetic resonance images in 156 patients in whom back and leg pain were investigated were analyzed for the presence and appearances of high-intensity zones. The clinical features of those patients with a high-intensity zone but with no evidence of neural compression on magnetic resonance imaging were analyzed by t test and X2 test. Results: A high-intensity zone occurred in patients at a prevalence of 45.5% and usually occurred posteriorly (77%) and posterolaterally (22%) within the anulus. There were no features within the history, functional disability questionnaire, or physical examination that aided in a clinical diagnosis of those patients with a high-intensity zone. Conclusions: A high-intensity zone is a common finding in patients in whom low back and leg pain are investigated, but the presence of a high-intensity zone does not define a group of patients with particular clinical features. |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|