Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Radiograph of the spine, in two planes – to evaluate bony structures; typical radiographic findings include:
- Decreased height and wedge-shaped deformation of the vertebrae.
- Reduced intervertebral spaces (intervertebral spaces).
- Extension of the vertebral bodies dorsally (to the front).
- Occurrence of so-called Schmorl nodules (displacement (herniation) of disc tissue in the vertebral body), which are caused by disc herniations in the vertebral bodies.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; computer-assisted cross-sectional imaging (using magnetic fields, that is, without X-rays)) of the spine (spinal MRI) – to visualize the spinal canal and nerve structures in suspected discopathies (disc damage).
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the medical history, physical examination and obligatory laboratory parameters – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Computed tomography (CT; sectional imaging procedure (X-ray images from different directions with computer-based evaluation)) of the spine (spinal CT).
