ABSTRACT
Provocative lumbar discography is an invasive diagnostic procedure in which contrast is injected into the intervertebral disc. It is a procedure that has been practiced for over 50 years and is accepted by many as a valid investigative tool. In the evaluation of spinal pain, it is of critical importance to diagnose accurately precise origins of pain or structural derangement. 1 It is also important to evaluate findings of pathological significance from imaging studies and correlate them with patient symptoms. 2 When a disc problem is suspected by history or physical examination, imaging studies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can determine disc pathology in many cases, but they do not always identify a particular abnormal finding as coincident with painful symptoms.
