Type of Article: Original Research DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijar.2016.362 Page No.:  2891-2895

SCHMORL’S NODES: AN INCIDENTAL FINDING ON MRI Garima Sehgal * 1 ,  Tahsin Haider 2 ,  Syed Shadeeh Haider 3 ,  Sachin Khandury 4 . *1 Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, King George’s Medical University, U.P., Lucknow, India. 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Era’s Lucknow Medical College & Hospital (ELMC&H), Lucknow, India. 3 Faculty, Department of Surgery,   Sahara Hospital, Lucknow, India, sshaider241270@gmail.com 4 Prof. & head, Department of Radiodiagnosis, ELMC & H, Lucknow, India. Correspondence   Address:    Dr.   Garima   Sehgal,   Assistant   Professor,   Department   of   Anatomy,   King   George’s   Medical   University,   UP,   Lucknow-226003,   India. Mob: +919208331704 E-Mail: drgarimabhasin@gmail.com ABSTRACT Background   and   Purpose:   A   herniation   of   intervertebral   disc   nuclear   material   (nucleus   pulposus)   through   vertebral   end   plate   into   the vertebral   body,   constitutes   what   is   known   as   the   schmorl’s   node.   It   is   a   common   incidental   finding   in   normal   adult   population   and   its presence   may   or   may   not   be   associated   with   complaints   of   back   pain.   The   etiology   &   prevalence   of   these   nodes   is   still   controversial   and debatable. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence of schmorl’s node in an asymptomatic population. Materials   and   Methods:   A   retrospective   study   was   carried   out   in   the   Departments   of   Anatomy,   Era’s   Lucknow   Medical   College   & Hospital   (ELMC&H)   &   King   George’s   Medical   University,   UP,   Lucknow,   India   in   collaboration   with   Department   of   Radiology,   ELMC&H,   UP, India.   Thoracolumbar   region   MRI   scans   of   100   patients   were   collected   and   studied   for   the   presence   of   schmorl’s   nodes   on   the   basis   of certain predefined criteria. Results:   Schmorl’s   nodes   were   found   in   18   out   of   100   cases   in   relation   to   the   lower   thoracic   and   upper   lumbar   spine   (18%).   More   males as   compared   to   females   displayed   the   presence   of   these   nodes.   No   independent   association   of   schmorl’s   node   with   back   pain   was identified. Conclusion:   Presence   of   schmorl’s   node   may   occur   as   an   incidental   finding   and   is   not   always   associated   with   pain.   Male   subjects   had   an insignificantly   higher   proportion   of   nodes   as   compared   to   females.      Prevalence   of   asymptomatic   nodes   in   elderly   population   is   nearly similar to that in young population. KEY WORDS: Schmorl’s nodes, Thoraco-lumbar spine, MRI, Back pain. References   1 . Mok   FP,   Samartzis   D,   Karppinen   J,   Luk   KD,   Fong   DY,   Cheung   KM.   ISSLS   prize   winner:   prevalence,   determinants,   and   association   of   Schmorl   nodes   of the lumbar spine with disc degeneration: a population-based study of 2449 individuals. Spine 2010;35:1944-1952. 2 . Pilet   B,   Salgado   R,   Van   Havenbergh   T,   Parizel   PM.   Development   of   acute   schmorl   nodes   after   discography.   J.   Comput.   Assist.   Tomogr.   2009;33:   597- 600. 3 . 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