Magnetic resonance tomography of the postoperative lumbar spine. A comparison of the MR versus CT images in recurrent intervertebral disk prolapse

In the present study, 40 patients who had undergone disc surgery were examined by high resolution CT and MR for possible recurrence of the disc prolapse and the results are compared. It appears that high resolution spinal MR, using its various tissue parameters provides no new insights into possible recurrence of a disc prolapse. As is the case with CT, the investigator must also evaluate other morphological and clinical factors. In spite of this, MR can be useful in the investigation of abnormal spines.