Soft disc herniation of the cervical spine

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Radiology
• Orthopedics

Background:

• The definition and diagnosis of soft disc hernias in the cervical spine can be challenging.
• This study investigates 34 cases to clarify diagnostic criteria and treatment outcomes.

Observation:

• Patients presented with neck or interscapular pain, exacerbated by neck compression and reproduced during discography.
• Posterolateral soft disc hernias were associated with severe pain, while paracentral-central types showed varying pain levels.
• Neurological signs (cord signs) were observed in 20 patients, correlating with spinal canal width and disc prolapse amount.

Findings:

• Discography proved highly effective for diagnosing soft disc hernias, particularly in reproducing patient pain.
• Combined discography and computed tomography scanning enable differentiation between paracentral and central disc hernia types.
• Both conservative management (12 cases) and surgical intervention (22 cases) yielded favorable results.

Implications:

• Improved diagnostic accuracy for cervical soft disc hernias through advanced imaging techniques.
• Discography is a valuable tool for pain localization and diagnosis in suspected cervical disc herniation.
• Evidence supports the efficacy of both conservative and surgical approaches for managing soft cervical disc hernias.