51
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review

Discography‘s Role in Low Back Pain Management

&
Pages 151-157 | Published online: 08 Mar 2012
 

Abstract

SUMMARY Lumbar provocation discography is a commonly used diagnostic procedure utilized to determine the presence or absence of discogenic pain at a specific spinal segment. Although multidisciplinary societies have recognized discography as the primary criterion for identifying discogenic pain, the test remains controversial. Skeptics argue against its sensitivity and specificity, and suggest that it‘s risks outweigh any potential benefits. However, when properly performed and interpreted, discography is an invaluable tool. Together with a patient‘s history, physical examination and radiological studies, discography will safely identify both symptomatic and asymptomatic discs to provide confirmatory evidence that a particular disc is the source of the patient‘s pain. Since information from this study may be used to plan for percutaneous or open surgical procedures, accurate and precise interpretation of the results is vital.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Notes

Reproduced with permission from the International Spine Intervention Society Citation[8].

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.