Aclarion study finds Nociscan agrees with discography in 87% of cases

Aclarion, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACON, ACONW) announced the publication of a peer-reviewed study in the European Spine Journal finding that its Nociscan tool agreed with low-pressure provocative discography in identifying painful lumbar discs in up to 87% of cases.

The study, conducted at the London Spine Clinic, evaluated Nociscan against discography — an invasive procedure considered a reference standard for identifying painful spinal discs — across 55 lumbar discs in 20 consecutive patients being evaluated for surgical treatment.

Discography involves inserting a needle into a spinal disc and injecting fluid to reproduce a patient's pain. The procedure can cause pain flare-ups lasting several days, and its accuracy has been debated in medical literature due to its reliance on patient-reported pain responses.

"After more than three decades performing discography, I've seen firsthand how much this invasive procedure asks of patients, and how it may not always give us the answer," said Dr. John Sutcliffe, consultant spinal neurosurgeon and lead author of the study. "In our own clinic, we found that Nociscan tracked closely with what we saw on discography, at a lower cost, no added pain and no added risk to the patient."

The study also noted a cost difference at the study site, with a three-disc Nociscan exam costing approximately £2,040 compared to roughly £2,775 for an equivalent discogram. Nociscan patients also avoided the approximately two days of work missed due to pain flare-ups that often follow discography.

The study's authors noted its limited sample size and said larger, multi-center studies are being organized. They concluded that MR spectroscopy "may, in time, with further data and deeper understanding, replace provocative lumbar discography" in appropriately selected patients.

The information in this article is based on a press release issued by Aclarion, Inc.

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