OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to review the appearance of various abnormalities that affect the lumbar intervertebral disk and diskovertebral segment through anatomic-pathologic correlation in cadavers. CONCLUSION. Familiarity with the pathologic conditions in and around the intervertebral disk is important in recognizing such conditions as a potential source of symptoms. We revisit the principal role of MRI in evaluating these abnormalities and excluding other sources of significant clinical manifestations.
Keywords: MRI; annulus fibrosus; diskovertebral segment; intervertebral disk; nucleus pulposus; pathologic conditions.