Imaging analysis of high-intensity zone at the posterior margin of the lumbar intervertebral disc
MENG Ya-ke
MEI Zi-jian
SHAO Rong-xue
ZHANG Wei
PAN Hao
GUO Yong-fei
Abstract：Objective To explore the evolutionary prognosis of lumbar disc high-intensity zone(HIZ)in order to advance the understanding of HIZ pathologies.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on imaging data from patients experiencing low back pain who presented with HIZ in their intervertebral discs at the orthopedic department of our hospital between January 2015 and June 2023(at least two lumbar MRIs,with an interval of more than 12 months).The objective was to ascertain the morphological changes observed in the last MRI-HIZ and evaluate the dynamic relationship between disc herniation and HIZ.Results Among the 49 patients included in this study,the average interval between MRI examinations was(60.1±46.1)months(range:12-168 months).Of these patients,21 showed no significant changes in their HIZ,while 4 experienced improvement,7 exhibited worsening,and 2 demonstrated both deterioration and inconsistent improvement.Notably,15 patients presented with HIZ accompanied by morphological changes in the nucleus pulposus of the herniated disc.Among these cases,7 patients exhibited HIZ prior to disc herniation,while 8 patients developed HIZ subsequent to intervertebral disc herniation.In the latter group,the HIZ tended to remain stable or exhibit slight size reduction in the later stages.Conclusions HIZ represents a commonly observed imaging manifestation associated with disc degeneration,reflecting a relatively slow and benign pathological progression.The majority of HIZ lesions demonstrate morphological stability over time.However,certain instances of HIZ are closely linked to intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus herniation,which could occur sequentially in the later stages.Alternatively,such HIZ may signify a residual tissue repair and healing process occurring subsequent to intervertebral disc herniation.
Keywords：Lumbar vertebraeIntervertebral discMagnetic resonance imagingIntervertebral disc degenerationLow back pain
Publication Date：2026-01-19
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-09(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 27-31 )