Accuracy of the kissing sign on lumbar spine MRI in cases of axillary disc herniation and the surgical correlation: an Indian multi-center study

摘要

ObjectivesMagnetic resonance imaging has proven to be a valuable tool in the assessment of disc abnormalities. Two types of disc extrusion can be described according to the direction of herniated disc material: shoulder type and axillary type. Axillary disc herniation is described when the extruded disc fragment lies in the recess between the lateral border of cauda equina and medial to the nerve roots, while in the shoulder type the disc lies lateral to the nerve roots. It is very important to describe the type of disc herniation, as the surgical approach differs in each type. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no definite signs have been described in literature to date. This study aimed to address the accuracy of the kissing sign on MRI for he diagnosis of axillary disc herniation.