Ultrasound diagnosis of lumbar disc degeneration. Comparison with computed tomography/discography.

Transabdominal ultrasound (US) imaging was compared with computed tomography (CT)/discography in order to assess whether the former could be used for screening discs to be examined by CT/discography, or could be used to replace CT/discography. A total of 56 discs in 29 patients was examined by both methods. The US findings were classified as local or generalized disc lesions, and the CT/discography findings according to the Dallas Discogram Description. The sensitivity of US for recognizing a discographically painful and deteriorated disc was 0.95, and its specificity was 0.38. Correspondingly, the predictive value of a positive US finding was 1.53, and that of a negative finding was 0.13. US is considered suitable for screening discs prior to CT/discography.