A practical guide to the application of AJNR guidelines for nomenclature and classification of lumbar disc pathology in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

The American Journal of Neuro-Radiology (AJNR) has produced a framework and guidelines for the reporting of the Lumbar spine in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. These guidelines have provided a universally acceptable nomenclature that is simple and gives a system of classifications and reporting built upon that nomenclature. Some of the main proposals and definitions of the AJNR recommendations are discussed with the aid of both schematic and MR images including degenerative pathologies of the lumbar spine to further simplify the guidelines.