Computed tomography in the diagnosis of herniated nucleus pulposus.

In this study, the effectiveness of computed tomography(CT) in diagnosing herniated nucleus pulposus was evaluated. Sixteen CT examinations which were interpreted as positive for a herniated disk, and were intraoperatively confirmed, were reviewed. In all 16 patients, CT demonstrated posterior protrusion of the disk and displacement of anterior epidural fat. Calcification within the protruding disk was noted in several patients, and an extruded disk fragment identified by CT in two. In all cases, the CT findings correlated closely with the surgical findings. This study suggests that CT accurately demonstrates disk herniation.