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Spine
intermediate
X-Type

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative Conditions

A 45-year-old office worker presents with 6 months of low back pain radiating to the right buttock and posterior thigh. Pain is worse with sitting and bending forward. MRI shows L4-L5 disc degeneration with a posterolateral disc herniation and Modic Type II changes in the adjacent vertebrae. Regarding degenerative disc disease:

Mark each as TRUE or FALSE

A

The intervertebral disc consists of the nucleus pulposus (gel-like center with high water and proteo...

B

Modic changes are vertebral endplate and marrow signal changes seen on MRI: Type I (T1 low, T2 high)...

C

All patients with disc herniation on MRI require surgical treatment; a posterolateral disc herniatio...

D

A posterolateral L4-L5 disc herniation typically compresses the traversing L5 nerve root (not the ex...

E

Surgical options for symptomatic disc herniation with radiculopathy include microdiscectomy (gold st...

Answer the questions to see explanations

Click T (True) or F (False) for each option