SUMMARYEighteen patients with chronic low back pain were studied with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomographic (CT) discography. Each study was classified as being normal, showing early disc degenerative changes including annular tear, showing established disc degeneration or disc herniation. There was comparable information in over 90% of the MRI studies when compared to CT discography, without reliance on pain provocation or carrying out an invasive procedure. The axial and sagittal T1 weighted images were used to exclude other causes of pain, such as foraminal stenosis and disc herniation. The midsagittal T2 weighted image used in this study was considered to be, in part, responsible for the underestimation of disc degeneration because it did not allow visualization of the lateral aspects of the discs.