Southern Medical Journal · 1986 · 21 citations · 0 references
MedicineOrthopaedic SurgeryRadiologyDiagnostic ImagingDiagnostic RadiologyOrthopedicsDegenerative Joint Disease ImagingMusculoskeletal ImagingMusculoskeletal RadiographySpinal AssessmentSpinal DisordersSpine ImagingDegenerative Spine Disease ImagingFunctional Outcome EvaluationFunctional Outcome MeasurementLumbar Degenerative Disc DiseaseLumbar Spine DisordersLumbar Spine ImagingRadiographic Spinal AssessmentSpine Radiography
We prospectively studied 96 men with low back pain to evaluate the association of x-ray findings with clinical diagnosis, treatment, functional outcome, and satisfaction with care. Degenerative joint disease (DJD) was the most common radiologic finding (70%). Making the diagnosis of spinal DJD has little effect on patient management, but patients with x-ray evidence of DJD were three times more likely than those with normal films to receive nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs other than aspirin. Furthermore, patients given a "diagnostic label" of DJD were more likely to express satisfaction with medical care and less likely to seek care elsewhere than patients with similar x-ray results who were given nonspecific diagnoses. These factors will need to be considered in arriving at an estimate of the net benefits of x-ray examination of the lumbar spine.