Degenerative disk disease.

Evaluation of degenerative disk disease is, by far, the most common indication for spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is rare to identify a patient over the age of 40 whose spine does not demonstrate at least some of the imaging features of degenerative disease. In spite of the ubiquitous nature of degenerative changes in the spine and decades of intensive study of degenerative processes, many questions concerning degenerative disease, including its immediate etiology, remain unanswered. Radiologic evaluation of degenerative spine disease focuses on the anatomic relationships between the disk, vertebral endplates and facet joints with the subarachnoid space, nerve roots, and spinal cord. Although MRI lacks the detail of high resolution computed tomography for defining the anatomy of osteophytes, MRI appears to be the primary modality for evaluating degenerative spine disease, and in most cases, MRI may be definitive.