The journal of medical investigation : JMI
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We studied the natural history of extruded lumbar intervertebral discs using MRI. Forty-nine patients with lumbar disc herniation were included in this study. Ages ranged from 19 to 57. ⋯ The size of the HNP with a SIR value of 1.2 and higher on T2-weighted MR images decrease with time, however, the HNP with a SIR below 1.2 did not show any size reduction. The SIR of 1.2 and higher is a good indicator predicting spontaneous reduction of the HNP. Dehydration in the HNP may play an important role in the reduction of the lumbar disc herniation.