Does Discography Cause Accelerated Progression of Degeneration Changes in the Lumbar Disc

Description: Objectives: To compare progression of common degenerative findings between lumbar discs injected 10 years earlier with those same disc levels in matched subjects not exposed to discography.
Conclusion: Modern discography techniques using small gauge needle and limited pressurization resulted in accelerated disc degeneration, disc herniation, loss of disc height and signal and the development of reactive endplate changes compared to match-controls. Careful consideration of risk and benefit should be used in recommending procedures involving disc injection.
Does Discography Cause Accelerated Progression of Degeneration Changes in the Lumbar Disc: A Ten-year Matched Cohort Study Eugene J. Carragee, MD; Angus S. Don, FRACS; Eric L. Hurwitz, DC, PhD; Jason M. Cuellar, MD, PhD; John Carrino, MD; Richard Herzog, MD Spine. 2009;34(21):2338-2345.