Is cervical discography of any value?

Following the successful use of lumbar discography in the management of lumbo-sciatic pain, attention focused on the possibility of using such intradiscal injections in the management of cervico-brachial disorders. Much has been written on the subject of cervical discography. However, little is of use to the clinician seeking objective validation of this procedure. Many papers relate to specific workers' own experiences and one cannot but be disturbed at the wide diversity of opinion that has been expressed on the efficacy of cervical discography. In this paper, we review the extensive literature on cervical discography and present our own findings from both in vitro and clinical studies. We conclude that as a technique to locate symptomatic levels, cervical discography is worthless but that the findings of a normal nuclear image will probably indicate an asymptomatic level. Also, we feel that reliance on pain reproduction during injection is doubtful.