CORREALTION BETWEEN THE CLINICAL FEATURES AND MRI FEATURES OF DISC PROTRUSION

Abstract

Background: Lumbar disc protrusion is a common cause of lower back pain and may lead to nerve root compression, spinal canal stenosis, and radiating pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important diagnostic tool for identifying disc abnormalities and evaluating their relationship with clinical symptoms. However, MRI findings do not always correspond to the severity of patients' symptoms.

Objective: To assess the correlation between clinical features and MRI findings in patients with lumbar disc protrusion.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad, over a period of four months. A total of 60 patients aged 17–70 years were included through convenient sampling. Both male and female patients were enrolled. Clinical information was collected through patient history, while MRI examinations were performed using a Siemens 1.5 Tesla scanner. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Pearson correlation was applied to assess the relationship between clinical and MRI findings.

Results: Among 60 patients, 32 (53.33%) were male and 28 (46.67%) were female. The mean age was 41.08 ± 14.12 years. Pain was present in 53 (88.33%) patients, with lower back pain being the most common complaint (79.25%). The most frequently affected disc level was L5-S1 (46.67%), followed by L4-L5 (35%). Nerve root compression was observed in 65% of patients, while spinal canal stenosis was present in 30%. A weak positive correlation was found between clinical and MRI features (r = 0.144, p = 0.271), which was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: MRI is valuable for identifying lumbar disc protrusion and associated structural changes. However, MRI findings should be interpreted alongside clinical symptoms and examination findings.