ObjectiveTo analyze the correlation of intervetebral disc degeneration with the diffusion values of lumbar vertebral discs and lumbar blood supply in patients with suspected lumbar intervertebral problems, so as to assess ADC value in diagnosis of intervertebral degeneration and the related blood supply.MethodsSixty-five patients with suspected lumbar intervertebral problems were included in the present study; they had a mean age of (52.3±28.5) years and an age range of 16-76 years. Eleven of them had low back pain complicated with sciatica, 16 had low back pain without sciatica, 33 had sciatica without low back pain, and 5 had intermittent claudication. The disease course was 1-57 weeks, with a mean of (13.4±6.3) weeks. MR angiography and diffusion imaging were performed to evaluate the status of lumbar arteries and to obtain the ADC values of L1-4, so as to analyze the correlation of ADC values, lumbar blood supply, and intervetebral disc degeneration.ResultsThe ADC values of L1-4 were negatively correlated with the degeneration of lumbar discs(P<0.05). There was a relation between the artery status of L1, L2, and L3 with the degeneration of corresponding lumbar discs of L1-2, L2-3, and L3-4（rs=0.823，P=0.016 3; rs=0.791, P=0.019 2; rs=0.835, P=0.010 3 ). The artery status of L4 and the L4-5 discs was not significantly correlated with degeneration of corresponding lumbar discs（rs=0.306, P=0.209 2）.ConclusionThe ADC values of lumbar intervertebral disc can reflect the degeneration of L1-4, and degeneration of L1-2, L2-3, and L3-4 is correlated with the artery status of corresponding discs.