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Dallas Discogram Description of Sachs et al in Evaluation of a Patient with Low Back Pain

Description

Sachs et al developed the Dallas Discogram Description (DDD) to describe findings on CT and discography in a patient with low back and/or leg pain. This can help to standardize the reporting of findings and to determine the best therapeutic option. The authors are from North Texas Spine Research Foundation, University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas and the Texas Back Institute.


 

Parameters:

(1) degeneration of the annulus on CT

(2) annular disruption on CT (with contrast extension)

(3) clinical reproduction of pain on disc injection during discography

(4) level of pain on disc injection during discography

Parameter

Finding

Code

degeneration of the annulus

no change

0

 

< 10% (localized)

1

 

10 - 50% (partial)

2

 

> 50% (total)

3

annular disruption

none

0

 

inner half of the annulus

1

 

outer half of the annulus

2

 

completely through the outer annulus (beyond the outer annulus)

3

reproduction of pain

feeling of P ressure only

P

 

D issimilar to pain

D

 

S imilar to pain

S

 

E xactly the same pain

E

 

The level of pain is described in a VAS scale from 0 to 10 (0 none, 10 worse imaginable).

 


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