High resolution computed tomography in the diagnosis of cervical disc disease

In this study, the authors evaluate the importance of computed tomography (CT) in 15 patients who underwent surgical treatment for cervical disc disease. In nine operated on by an anterior approach, all CT examinations were interpreted as positive for disc herniation and correlated precisely with surgical observations. CT demonstrated protrusion of the disc, centrally in four and posterolaterally in five in all of whom disc material was found posterior to the vertebral body. Of six who underwent laminectomy, either thickening or calcification of the ligamentum flavum was demonstrated by CT and confirmed at surgery in five. Vacuum phenomenon in the intervertebral space and hypertrophy of the intervertebral joint were not infrequently associated. CT can exactly delineate cervical disc lesions and associated pathological changes.