Ultrasound of the spine in focal stenosis and disc disease.

In the course of reviewing ultrasound scans of the lumbar spine in 67 symptomatic patients, focal stenosis, either as an isolated finding or in conjunction with diffuse stenosis, was noted in 44 patients. The results of ultrasonograms are compared with findings at myelography and surgery. In addition, using gray-scale technique, we found it possible to examine areas of focal stenosis and to visualize herniated discs with a high degree of accuracy. The finding of focal stenosis alone was associated with disc herniation in 53% of patients who came to surgery. Where ultrasound identified a "triple density" representing soft-tissue protrusion between two bony landmarks within the extradural space resulting in focal stenosis, the sensitivity for indicating disc disease was 89%.