DEGENERATIVE DISK VASCULARIZATION ON MRI - CORRELATION WITH CLINICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC FINDINGS

Objective. This prospective study was designed to determine the MRI fe atures, clinical significance, and correlation to histopathologic find ings of secondary vascularized degenerative intervertebral disks. Mate rials and methods. Fifty-three patients with localized painful spine s yndrome were investigated prospectively by contrast-enhanced MRI. Pain was not predominantly radiating and there was no clinical evidence of spinal infection. In all patients sagittal SE T1-weighted, fast-SE T2 -weighted or turbo-STIR, and T1-weighted frequency-selective fat-suppr essed images were obtained. Results. We identified 37 vascularized dis ks in 26 patients. In 18 patients the changes had occurred spontaneous ly, in 6, the affected disk had been operated on previously, and 2 pat ients had spondylolisthesis. In 15 patients, vascularization was accom panied by medullary edema adjacent to the vertebral endplates. In one of the vascularized disks, herniation was also found. In seven patient s, ventral diskectomy was performed. Histopathologic findings confirme d disk vascularization in six of seven cases. Conclusions. Degenerativ e, bandlike disk vascularization is a feature which is associated with local pain. It is demonstrated by contrast-enhanced MRI. Degenerative disk vascularization is an important differential diagnosis to bacter ial spondylodiskitis. It can be a cause of pain in patients with postd iskectomy syndrome.