Clinical outcome and MRI appearance in a group of chronic low back pain patients more than 10 years after discography evaluation and consideration for surgery.

Other than more endplate changes in the surgery group, no differences in longitudinal change of MRI parameters were established between LBP patients treated with or without fusion surgery in the studied cohort. The study also highlights the limited progress of degenerative changes, which may be seen over a decade, despite needle puncture and chronic LBP.