An increase in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with low-back pain appears to be leading to a boost in unnecessary and ineffective back surgeries, say researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California .

Investigators determined the availability of MRIs in 318 Metropolitan regions in the U.S. They found that greater MRI availability was linked with a higher rate of low-back surgery among fee-for-service Medicare recipients.

The study’s authors call this trend “worrisome” because MRIs often detect abnormalities that are not the cause of the patient’s back pain, in turn leading to unnecessary and ineffective surgeries. Also, the MRIs were conducted within a month of visiting a doctor, and many cases of low-back pain resolve within a few months without intervention.

Health Affairs – November 2009;28:1133-40.
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