Is there a role for diskography in the era of MR imaging

Forty patients have been prospectively studied by CT diskography (CTD) and MR imaging with surgical findings as the gold standard. CTD included evaluation of the patients' pain response and amount of resistance to the injection of contrast material. Whereas diskography demonstrated only disk abnormalities and pain response, MR imaging clearly imaged the thecal sac and nerve roots and showed the sequelae of disk disease on these structures. The authors conclude that MR is the ideal screening test for lumbar radiculopathy and low back pain, whereas diskography has a role in the problematic case that is unresolved by MR imaging or myelography and for which surgery is contemplated