Lumbar spine after surgery for herniated disk: imaging findings in the early postoperative period

Imaging the lumbar spine after surgery for disk herniation is all too often an unrewarding challenge. A constellation of findings is inevitable, and determining their significance is often impossible. The challenge is greatest during the first few months following surgery, when the rules of scar enhancement, deformity, and mass effect do not apply to differentiation of the abnormal from the normal. A clear understanding of normal postoperative healing is necessary to avoid overreaction to misleading findings. This report reviews imaging of the lumbar spine in the early postoperative period (i.e., the first 6 months after surgery), focusing on the normal healing process that so often mimics complicating or recurrent disease.