Nocimed Announces Publication of Using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to Identify Painful Lumbar Discs in the European Spine Journal

by Josh Sandberg, August 23, 2019

Nocimed, the leader in the adjunct diagnosis of degenerative disc disease (DDD) pain, has published a peer-reviewed paper in the European Spine Journal (ESJ) that studies the improvement in chronic low back pain patient outcomes with NociScan. NociScan is a non-invasive diagnostic test that measures the potential causes of disc pain.  Nociscan can replace provocative discography, an invasive procedure which purposely puts patients into pain in order to subjectively establish a judgement on disc health.

Using existing MRI and spectroscopy, NociScan detects the presence of chemical biomarkers associated with pain or structural integrity.  Knowing this information allows the clinician, whether a spine surgeon, radiologist, or pain management specialist, to make faster and more informed clinical decisions. NociScan uncovers the chemical composition of lumbar discs, providing unique insight for determining an optimal treatment path.

The study reported in ESJ, led by Dr. Matthew Gornet, performed an observational diagnostic development and accuracy study where patients were 623 discs from 139 patients scanned using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). 275 discs also received provocative discography (PD). The results showed that for the 75 patients who underwent surgery, surgical success increased from 57% to 97% when patients were treated based on the chemical biomarker insight provided by NociScan.

“Accurate diagnoses remain one of the most significant challenges in spinal care. Nocimed provides a non-invasive test to evaluate which discs are pain generators in an attempt to drive more precise treatment decision-making. Surgery for low back pain remains a contentious issue and the ability of a NosiScan to enhance the likelihood of a successful clinical outcome after fusion or TDR provides immense value,” said Dr. Frank M. Phillips, MD, Professor and Director, Division of Spine Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.

“It is exciting to see these many years of research and hard work recognized for improving patient outcomes,” said Brett Lanuti, President and CEO of Nocimed, Inc. “On behalf of the Nocimed team and its investors, we would like to share our gratitude for the many clinicians and researchers who worked so hard to make this publication come together, and to show the true benefits the Nocigram technology can provide to patients. This is the first of what we expect to be a series of studies demonstrating Nociscan’s clinical value”

About Nocimed

Nocimed was created to significantly improve the diagnoses of spine pain, using technologies originally invented at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF).

Nocimed harnesses the power of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) for the non-invasive measurement of chemical biomarkers in lumbar discs, with an aim to deliver faster, more accurate diagnoses, improved treatment and greater understanding of the causes of degenerative disc disease (DDD). 

As of August 2019, Nocimed has earned a CE Mark to allow for sales in the EU, and registered with the FDA under the 21st Century Cures Act to allow for sales the US. In June 2019, Nocimed earned its first US revenues.