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PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF LUMBAR SPINE MRI
The broad objective of the proposed research is to improve treatment
recommendations and health outcomes for patients with chronic low
back pain by assessing the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
of the lumbar spine as an indicator of prognosis. The relationship
between anatomical abnormalities in the lumbar spine found by MRI
and subsequent clinical history and patient outcomes is
controversial. Previous work has demonstrated a high prevalence of
disc abnormalities in asymptomatic patients. Variations in rates of
surgery indicate significant variability among physicians in the
interpretation of abnormalities identified with advanced radiologic
techniques. We propose to use diagnostic images and clinical outcome
data created by the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) to
study the reliability and prognostic value of MRI of the lumbar
spine in patients with intervertebral disc herniation (IDH), spinal
stenosis (SpS) and degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). |
