Deleterious effects of discography radiocontrast solution on human annulus cell in vitro: changes in cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis in exposed cells.

Background Context: Carragee et al. have recently shown that modern discography injections are associated with subsequent acceleration of disc degeneration, herniation, and loss of disc height. Although needle puncture and pressurization are known trauma events that can create disc degeneration in animal models, another likely culprit in clinical discography-associated degeneration is a direct effect of the contrast agent itself on disc cells.