This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Investigations

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Various imaging techniques are used when intervertebral discs have prolapsed in order to localise the site of the lesion, and to exclude alternative pathology, e.g. metabolic and neoplastic bone disease:

  • radiograph - may show disc space narrowing and osteophytes in cases of chronic recurrence; can show herniation of nucleus pulposus into the vertebral bodies - Schmorl's nodes
  • contrast myelography scan
  • CT scan
  • NMR scan

Reference

  1. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. NICE Guidelines (November 2016 - last updated December 2020) NG59

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.