Encyclopedia of Pain

2013 Edition
| Editors: Gerald F. Gebhart, Robert F. Schmidt

Cervical Discography

Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_640
How to cite

Synonyms

 Cervical discogram;  Provocation discogram;  Provocative discography

Definition

Cervical discography is a diagnostic procedure designed to determine if a cervical intervertebral disc is the source of a patient’s neck pain. It involves injecting contrast medium into the disc in an attempt to reproduce the patient’s pain.

Characteristics

Principles

The cervical intervertebral discs are innervated by nociceptive fibers from the cervical sinuvertebral nerves, the vertebral nerves, and the cervical sympathetic trunks (Bogduk et al. 1989; Groen et al. 1990; Mendel et al. 1992). Being endowed with a nerve supply, the cervical discs are potentially a source of neck pain.

There are no conventional means by which to determine if a patient’s neck pain arises from a cervical intervertebral disc. There are no signs on  musculoskeletal examination by which this can be established and no signs on medical imaging. Abnormalities evident on  magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) correlate poorly...

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References

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  5. Grubb, S. A., & Kelly, C. K. (2000). Cervical discography: Clinical implications from 12 years of experience. Spine, 25, 1382–1389.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. International Spinal Intervention Society. (2004). Cervical discography. In N. Bogduk (Ed.), Practice guidelines for spinal diagnostic and treatment procedures. San Francisco: Author.Google Scholar
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  10. Oda, J., Tanaka, H., & Tsuzuki, N. (1988). Intervertebral disc changes with aging of human cervical vertebra from the neonate to the eighties. Spine, 13, 1205–1211.PubMedGoogle Scholar
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Neurological and Spinal SurgeryLincolnUSA