McCormick ZL, Lehman VT, Plastaras C, et al. - In this retrospective matched cohort study of consecutive patients with symptomatic low back pain (LBP) who underwent MRI, provocation discography (PD), and repeat MRI more than 7 years later, but did not undergo subsequent spinal fusion surgery, researchers ascertained whether low-pressure lumbar PD led to long-term accelerated disc degeneration, internal disc disruption, or disc herniation in patients with symptomatic LBP. No variation in the proportion of punctured discs that advanced in the Pfirrmann score category in the PD group in comparison with corresponding discs in the Control group, or in non-punctured discs in the PD group contrasted with corresponding discs in the control group, was noted. No variations in disc-to-CSF T2 signal intensity ratio, presence of disc herniations, high-intensity zones, or Modic changes after a puncture in the PD vs matched cohort discs or in the non-punctured PD cohort discs vs corresponding control cohort discs were observed. Therefore, patients with symptomatic LBP who underwent low-pressure PD, but who did not undergo a subsequent spinal fusion surgery, acquired disc degeneration and new disc herniations at a comparable rate to corresponding discs in matched control patients.