[Disk hernia of the lumbar spine. Radiologic study with special reference to the technic and value of nuclear magnetic resonance tomography].

Degenerations of the spinal disc especially in the lumbar region are the most frequent degenerative diseases in orthopedics. As diagnostic proceedings to discover disc herniation myelography and computerized tomography have been proven to be very usefull. Each of those methods show a high sensitivity and accuracy. Computerized tomography seems to be the first procedure because of the lac of any risk. Myelography has been reserved for the second approach, if there is any doupt in diagnosis. This paper will especially discuss advantages and disadvantages of MRI-tomography for the diagnosis of disc herniation. In MRI-tomography we have no radiation, there is no risk for the patient and we have the possibility of slices in different orientations with the sagittal orientation having priority in diagnosis of disc herniation. A more pronounced contrast in MRI relatively to the computerized tomography with nearly the same spatial resolution is an other important fact in favour for MRI. The value of MRI diagnosis of the spine depends however mainly on the use of special surface coils and on the use of high magnetic fields which provides a good signal to noise relation and which would permit us to use a thin-slice technique.