• Eur Spine J · Jun 2023

    Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) identification of chemically painful lumbar discs leads to improved 6-, 12-, and 24-month outcomes for discogenic low back pain surgeries.

    • Matthew F Gornet, Robert K Eastlack, James Peacock, Francine W Schranck, and Jeffrey C Lotz.
    • The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis, 14825 N. Outer Forty Road, Suite 200, St Louis, MO, 63017, USA. mfgspine@gmail.com.
    • Eur Spine J. 2023 Jun 1; 32 (6): 197319841973-1984.

    PurposeMRS was shown to reliably quantify relative levels of degenerative pain biomarkers, differentiating painful versus non-painful discs in patients with chronic discogenic low back pain (DLBP), and this correlates with surgical success rates. We now report results based on more patients and longer follow-up.MethodsDisc MRS was performed in DLBP patients who subsequently received lumbar surgery. Custom post-processing (NOCISCAN-LS®; Aclarion Inc.) calculated disc-specific NOCISCORES® that reflect relative differences in degenerative pain biomarkers for diagnosing chemically painful discs. Outcomes in 78 patients were evaluated using Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores. Surgical success (≥ 15-point ODI improvement) was compared between surgeries that were "Concordant" (Group C) versus "Discordant" (Group D) with NOCISCORE-based diagnosis for painful discs.ResultsSuccess rates were higher for Group C versus Group D: 6 months (88% vs. 62%; p = 0.01), 12 months (91% vs. 56%; p < 0.001), and 24 months (85% vs. 63%; p = 0.07). Success rates for Group C surgeries were also higher than Group D surgeries in a variety of sub-group comparisons. Group C had a greater reduction in ODI from pre-operative to follow-up than Group D [absolute change (% change), (p)]: 6 months: - 35 (- 61%) versus - 23 (- 39%), (p < 0.05); 12 months: - 39 (- 69%) versus - 22 (- 39%), (p < 0.01); and 24 months:  - 38 (- 66%) versus - 26 (- 48%), (p < 0.05).ConclusionMore successful, sustained outcomes were obtained when surgically treating chemically painful discs identified by NOCISCAN-LS post-processed disc MRS exams. Results suggest that NOCISCAN-LS provides a valuable new diagnostic tool to help clinicians better select treatment levels.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

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