Nomenclature and standard reporting terminology of intervertebral disk herniation

Spine pathology is ubiquitous and is encountered by nearly all medical specialties. The anatomy of the spine is complex, but the language used to describe pathology may be even more complex. Many of the common references differ in their nomenclature used to report intervertebral disk herniation. This article summarizes and relates the standard recommendations for reporting terminology in regard to herniation of the intervertebral disk. This standard reporting terminology may be used with CT or MR imaging and is useful to report the location and size of the disk herniation. Recommendations are to report abnormalities in zones on axial images and in levels on the sagittal and coronal images. The diagnostician must also be aware of the various pitfalls associated with disk herniation to avoid the scenario of surgical intervention at the incorrect spinal level.