EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF LUMBAR SPONDYLOLYSIS BY MRI

Radiography and CT and MRI scans of the lumbar spine were performed in young patients complaining of pain during extension of the lumbar spi ne but without neurological signs in the lower limbs. T1-weighted MR i mages in the coronal plane showed a hypointense area in the pars inter articularis before the detection of spondylolysis at that site by plai n radiography or CT. We suggest that this may be useful in the early d iagnosis of spondylolysis.