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Postdiskogram CT features of lidocaine-sensitive and lidocaine-insensitive severely painful disks at provocation
W S Bartynski1, W E Rothfus, M Kurs-Lasky
1Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, Presbyterian University Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. bartynskiws@upmc.edu
Background And Purpose:
At lumbar diskography, intradiskal lidocaine can eliminate or reduce provoked diskogenic pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the postdiskogram CT features of lidocaine-sensitive and lidocaine-insensitive severely painful disks.
Materials And Methods:
Intradiskal lidocaine was injected at 182 severely painful levels in 111 patients. Clinical records/imaging studies were reviewed for response to intradiskal lidocaine (complete/substantial, partial, and no pain improvement), evidence of diskographic contrast leakage (fluoroscopic/CT images), and the overall postdiskogram CT appearance in these severely painful disks. The assessed traditional Dallas grade (degeneration/radial tear [RT]) was supplemented by identified postdiskogram CT features of annular derangement (annular gap [AG], RT into peripheral annular tear [PAT], isolated PAT, lamellar annular tear, free/attached annular fragments, bucket-handle tear, and peripheral annular pocket).
Results:
Isolated degenerative changes (40%) and radial defects with or without degeneration (60%) subsets were noted. Dallas grade 3 degeneration was most commonly observed (69%) with increased features of annular derangement in disks with a worsening Dallas grade. Complete/substantial versus no pain improvement was significantly associated with disk state (diskographic leakage, contained), radial defect (none, RT, or AG), and "RT-into-PAT" and were statistically significant in univariate models (P < .001). The associations remained significant in multivariate models. Higher Dallas degenerative grade and presence of free annular fragments were associated with a greater chance of no pain relief.
Conclusion:
Severely painful disks demonstrated complex annular derangement with both radial defects (RTs and AGs) or degenerative changes present, alone or in combination. Complete/substantial pain improvement after lidocaine administration is associated with disk state, radial defect (RT and AG), and RT-into-PAT.
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