Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a disease; MRI signal change (Modic) in vertebrae is an active process by isotope bone scan.

Abbas Alnaji

Abstract

Introduction: The pearl imaging study now days in evaluation of simple or complicated CLBP is the MRI of Lumbosacral spines. If we forget about prolapsed and dry discs as findings, here we confined our attention on a finding of a MRI signal change (Modic) +/- a dry disc or distorted disc with or without epiphyseal erosion. Methods: 30 patients, 15 males and 15 females of 25-55 years old with chronic low back pain have MRI signal change and disc and epiphyseal distortion. Those patients are in a group considered as spondylitis according to the clinical basis. Results: Showed different isotope accumulation rates but all considered positive for the accumulation. The magnitude of activity is linear with the degree of signal change or the structural change in MRI. Conclusion: This could bring a hint on the biological bases of this signal change of MRI and hence the causation of CLBP in a group clinically diagnosed as bacterial spondylitis.