WhatAPain

I recently got a Lumbar Spine MRI done. I have the report and I'm wondering if there is someone out here who would (please) put this in plain English for me:

EXAM:  MRI-Lumbar Spine without and with contrast

INDICATION:  LOW BACK PAIN, LOWER EXTREMITY RADICULOPATHY  

FINDINGS:  Vertebral body heights are maintained throughout.  No fracture is identified.  There are postop changes from fusion at L5-S1 with bilateral fusion rods and pedicle screws.  Visualized lower thoracic and upper lumbar segments through L3-4 show no abnormalities.

L4-5:  Mild disc desiccation and mild bilateral facet DJD.  No central stenosis.  There is bilateral facet DJD with mild bilateral foraminal narrowing left greater than right.

L5-S1:  Disc desiccation with mild disc space narrowing and postop changes bilateral L5 laminectomy.  Bilateral fusion rods and pedicle screws are seen at L5-S1 with mild grade I anterior subluxation of L5 on S1.  No significant foraminal stenosis.  No abnormal areas of enhancement or clumping of the nerve roots.  The thecal sac is widely patent.

The conus is normal in appearance terminating at the L1-2 disc level.

IMPRESSION:
1.  Postop changes L5-S1 fusion with bilateral fusion rods and pedicle screws.  There is mild grade I anterior subluxation of L5 on S1 without significant central or foraminal stenosis.
2.  Mild disc desiccation at L4-5 with mild bilateral facet DJD resulting in mild left greater than right foraminal narrowing.  There is mild compromise of the exiting left and perhaps to a lesser extent right L4 nerves.  No abnormal areas of enhancement or disc herniation.

I'd greatly appreciate any help I can get in translating this to layman's English and also possibly what it all means to my back pain.

Thank you all in advance!
-Tim

[Stephen Ryu, MD]

The simplest way to summarize your report is as follows:

You've had a fusion surgery at L5-S1
You have some mild arthritis at L4-5 and L5-S1
Everything otherwise looks good. You'll not there are a lot of NOT, WITHOUT, and NO in the report indicating normal findings.

What an isolated report means as related to your back pain cannot be answered that simply. The MRI does not indicate any obvious operation-related issues that might be a cause.