Is cervical discography of any value?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Pain Management

Background:

• Lumbar discography is used for lumbo-sciatic pain.
• Cervical discography has been explored for cervico-brachial disorders.
• Existing literature shows diverse opinions on cervical discography's efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the literature on cervical discography.
• To present findings from in vitro and clinical studies.
• To assess the diagnostic value of cervical discography for cervico-brachial pain.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of cervical discography studies.
• In vitro investigations.
• Clinical studies involving patients with neck and arm pain.

Main Results:

• Cervical discography is not a reliable technique for locating symptomatic cervical levels.
• A normal nuclear image may indicate an asymptomatic disc.
• Pain reproduction during the injection procedure is a doubtful indicator of pathology.

Conclusions:

• Cervical discography is deemed worthless for identifying symptomatic levels in the cervical spine.
• The procedure may have limited value in ruling out symptomatic levels based on normal imaging.
• Reliance on induced pain during injection is questionable for diagnosis.