[Possibilities for using nuclear magnetic resonance tomography in lumbar chemonucleolysis].

This paper documents a prospective study of the serial changes in the MRI appearances of the intervertebral disc after chemonucleolysis with chymopapain. After chemonucleolysis the mass of the disc prolaps had not changed. But there was a diminution of water content. The authors suggest that chemonucleolysis induces changes in the disc that may be comparable to degenerative processes. In consequence it may be of no use to carry out the chemonucleolysis in those cases, in which degenerative changes are already present in MR-imaging.