Procedure
Procedure Overview
Patients with suspected discogenic pain who have been unresponsive to conservative therapy and for which there is an uncertain diagnosis as to the extent of internal disc disruption are ideal candidates for discography. Diagnostic accuracy studies show strong evidence that discography is a useful imaging tool that allows you to see intradiscal pathology that may be missed by other tests.[1] During the procedure one or more discs are pressurized with contrast dye. The Stryker Discmonitor® automatically displays pressure and volume as the dye outlines any damaged areas. As each disc is injected, the patient’s response to intensity, type, and location of the pain, is monitored.
Discography generally takes about 30 to 60 minutes to perform and is typically covered by Medicare and most private insurers.
Benefits of discography include:
- Images the morphology of the disc
- Reduces the chance of over-pressurizing the disc
- Provides real-time information for greater diagnostic accuracy
- Aids in treatment planning
- Offers an objective method for standardizing procedures
- Reduces false positive reporting
- Performed on an outpatient basis
With the use of pressure-controlled manometric discography, improved and more specific diagnostic categorization is possible. [2]
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