Patent ID: 8333697

Claim:
A kit for diagnosing the location of a pain generator in a patient or an activity of a pain generator in the patient, the pain generator created by an axial pain condition and the pain generator being present in a target spinal disc or in an area adjacent to a target spinal disc, the axial pain condition being with or without radiculopathy, the kit comprising: a parenteral composition comprising: a purified pain marker or a purified marker of degeneration; and an activator; wherein the parenteral composition becomes activated when the purified pain marker or the purified marker of degeneration and the activator come into proximity of the pain generator; wherein the purified pain marker or purified marker of degeneration is associated with a radioisotope label or associated with a fluorochrome label; wherein the purified pain marker or purified marker of degeneration is located in a polymer depot; wherein the parenteral composition is provided in a visualizable amount, wherein the visualizable amount is an amount sufficient to be visualized by one of radiography, MRI, PET, SPECT, CT or fluoroscopy when the parenteral composition becomes activated; and wherein the parenteral composition is adapted to allow visualization of the amount of the pain generator or visualization of the activity of the pain generator when the parenteral composition is activated; and means for comparing the amount of the pain generator or for comparing the activity of the pain generator in the target spinal disc or the area adjacent to the target spinal disc with an amount of the pain generator or an activity of the pain generator in a non-target spinal disc or an area adjacent to a non-target spinal disc by allowing visualization of the amount of the parenteral composition which was activated and comparing that amount with the amount of parenteral composition activated at the non-target spinal disc or the area adjacent to the non-target spinal disc; and a detector configured to be inserted into the target spinal disc or the area adjacent to the target spinal disc, the detector having anchors and a sensing area, the sensing area configured to contact and to allow visualization of the parenteral composition, when activated.