贾治伟　张超　阮狄克

Low back pain is a common clinical symptom, severely affecting people’s daily life. It is difficult to find out the exact cause of low back pain, so most patients with low back pain can’t be clearly diagnosed. Intervertebral disc is the major source of low back pain, but there is no satisfactory method to determine the painful disc. Recently, the significance of lumbar disc high-intensity zone on MRI in the diagnosis of low back pain catches more and more researchers’ attention. However, the essence and characteristics of high-intensity zone are uncertain. Although high-intensity zone is helpful for the determination of the internal disc disruption and painful disc, its reliability is disputed. This study reviewed previous literature on lumbar disc high-intensity zone on MRI, discussed the correlation between high-intensity zone and low back pain, stated the current problems and found out the future direction on this subject. With the progress of research and the development of imaging techniques, lumbar disc high-intensity zone on MRI may play an increasingly important role in the exact diagnosis of low back pain.