Clinical aspects of lumbar intervertebral disc disease

The diagnosis and management of lumbar disc disease has undergone significant changes in recent years. This is especially true for diagnostic imaging studies (MRI and CT). Currently, CT/myelography or unenhanced MRI may be used to confirm the diagnosis and the level of involvement of lumbar disc disease. The indications for lumbar disc surgery include patients with neurologic deficits and/or those in whom intractable pain does not respond to conservative measures. Conventional disc surgery and/or microdiscectomy are both good operative procedures for lumbar disc disease, and each yields excellent results when criteria for diagnosis and surgery are strictly followed.