Do you need to use MRI scan inorder to find out wheather you have herniated disc from sciatica?
For a ct scan to show a bad disc it requires a contrast injection into the intrathecal sack in a procedure called a mylogram. It is like a spinal tap where the needle is placed directly into the spine and contrast is injected. With out contrast a CT scan is basically a fancy x-ray and is not able to give good soft tissue resolution, but is wonderful to look at fractures in the spine. CT mylograms is how backs were evaluated for years prior to MRI’s; but MRI scans give better images and most neuro doctors need them prior to surgery.
