Abstract
Object: This study was undertaken to duplicate the more physiological imaging of lumbar disk herniation possible with the "sitting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)" that exists at Harvard and Zurich. Method: A compression frame was constructed of plywood that would fit into a standard MRI machine. A patient lying in the frame, on extending the bent knees, would experience a compressive force on his lumbar and thoracic spine, thus duplicating the higher intradiscal pressures found in the sitting position. Results: It was found that in 50% of patients so studied there was reproduction of their pain syndromes as well as augmentation of disk herniation by MRI. Conclusion: The compression frame used during MRI of the spine results in a more physiological representation of herniated disks seen in the erect position.
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