Medical imaging of intervertebral disc degeneration: current status of imaging.

Abstract

The author reviewed literature and reports on spine imaging, selected key articles in which novel imaging strategies were described, and prepared a review of currently developing imaging strategies in intervertebral disc degeneration. To provide a review of imaging in intervertebral disc degeneration that covers the current methodology briefly and describes developing techniques in detail. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging provide excellent anatomic images of the spine. However, anatomic imaging of the spine does not reliably identify the source of pain in patients with intervertebral disc degeneration. Many functional imaging techniques are suited to the study of the spine. Some of these techniques will improve our understanding of intervertebral disc degeneration and clinical symptomatology. The author selected reports in the current literature for further review and attempted to describe succinctly the material in the reports that are most relevant to spine imaging. New and potentially useful imaging strategies for spine imaging include dynamic computed tomography, dynamic magnetic resonance imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Technological advances in magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography imaging continue to offer more opportunities to investigate and diagnose back pain and intervertebral disc degeneration.