Volumetric analysis of cervical intervertebral discs: Reference values for interventional cervical disc procedures

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Radiology
• Pain Management

Background:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has limitations in accurately identifying symptomatic cervical discs.
• Normative data for cervical disc volumes are not well-established, hindering clinical interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define level-specific cervical disc volume norms by excluding non-intradiscal contrast flow.
• To compare cervical disc volumes between discs that are pain-positive and pain-negative.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 135 cervical discograms over 10 years.
• Inclusion criteria required contained intradiscal filling; excluded discs with extravasation.
• Statistical analysis included ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, t-tests, and Mann-Whitney U testing for comparisons.

Main Results:

• Overall mean injected cervical disc volume was 0.24 ± 0.10 mL, with no significant inter-level differences.
• Pain-positive discs exhibited significantly higher injected volumes at C3/4, C4/5, C5/6, and C6/7 compared to pain-negative discs (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Cervical disc volumetrics are consistent across levels.
• Higher injected volumes in pain-positive discs at mid-cervical levels are identified.
• Established baseline values can guide intradiscal injection volumes to prevent overpressurization.