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Advances in the application of MRI in the diagnosis and evaluation of discogenic low back pain caused by intervertebral disc degeneration
ZHAO Haifeng  ZHAO Xiangbo  DU Wenjuan  ZHANG Hao 

Cite this article as: ZHAO H F, ZHAO X B, DU W J, et al. Advances in the application of MRI in the diagnosis and evaluation of discogenic low back pain caused by intervertebral disc degeneration[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2024, 15(9): 224-229. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2024.09.039.


[Abstract] Lower back pain is a prevalent health issue that imposes a significant burden on individuals and society, and discogenic lower back pain caused by disc degeneration is one of the most common etiologic factors. MR techniques are widely used for the routine diagnosis of disc degeneration and its complications. In recent years, with the advancement of artificial intelligence and quantitative techniques, T2WI-based texture analysis as well as various quantitative MR techniques have gradually become important tools for the early diagnosis of discogenic low back pain, the identification of painful discs, and the decision-making of treatment plans, as well as the evaluation of the efficacy of disc regenerative medicine. Multimodal image fusion and artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis are expected to play an irreplaceable role in the diagnosis and treatment of discogenic low back pain and in the development of new disc therapies, and the application of highly specific disc identification sequences such as CEST and MRS, as well as research on the association between discogenic low back pain and brain function, will also lead to the optimization of clinical treatment plans. In this paper, the current applications and developmental trends of MRI technologies such as T2WI and quantitative MRI in discogenic low back pain caused by lumbar intervertebral disc degenerative are reviewed, with the aim of providing more potential MRI technical support for its early diagnosis and the evaluation of the efficacy of disc regenerative medicine.
[Keywords] low back pain；intervertebral disc degeneration；discogenic low back pain；magnetic resonance imaging；quantitative technique；early diagnosis

ZHAO Haifeng1, 2   ZHAO Xiangbo1, 2   DU Wenjuan1, 2   ZHANG Hao2*  

1 The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

2 Department of Radiology, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Intelligent Imaging Medical Engineering Research, Lanzhou 730000, China

Corresponding author: ZHANG H, E-mail: zhanghao@lzu.edu.cn

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2024-05-09
Accepted  2024-09-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2024.09.039
Cite this article as: ZHAO H F, ZHAO X B, DU W J, et al. Advances in the application of MRI in the diagnosis and evaluation of discogenic low back pain caused by intervertebral disc degeneration[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2024, 15(9): 224-229. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2024.09.039.

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