MRI of the lumbar spine : relevance of T1W axial imaging in cases of herniated discs.

Abstract

The researcher of this study observed that low back pain, due to herniation of the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine was a common complaint among the Maltese population. Patients were being referred for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) investigation of the lumbar spine, which is where intervertebral disc herniation occurs the most. During the examination MRI utilizes four main scanning sequences, which are used to produce the images, used for the evaluation, and diagnosis of herniated intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine. The sequences used are saggital Tl and T2 and axial Tl and T2, but the viability of using the axial Tl protocol was questioned. The reason behind this is whether the same amount of diagnostic information can be obtained without using the axial Tl sequence. This means saving time whilst still obtaining the same amount of diagnostic data.