Gadolinium enhancement in newly diagnosed patients with lumbar disc herniations are associated with inflammatory peridiscal tissue reactions - Evidence of fragment degradation?

Gadolinium-enhanced MRI is a sensitive method to detect unspecific inflammatory reactions in therapy-naïve disc herniations. However, the neuroradiological and histological evidence of peridiscal inflammation was not correlated with the severity of pain or sensorimotor deficits in our patients. Additional research is needed because the occurrence of local inflammation may indicate an ongoing degradation of herniated fragments and thus be helpful in therapeutic decision-making.