Value of functional myelography with both lateral bending anterior-posterior views in lumbar radiculopathy

ABSTRACT

There are considerable discrepacies between clinical symptoms and imaging diagnosis in the localization of the responsible radiculopathy. The purposes of this study are to analyzed the dynamic alteration of contrast filling of the spinal nerve sleeves during positional changes and to determine how the abnormalities of nerve sleeves no lateral bending A-P views correlate with sciatica. The criteria indicationg the root abnormality in functional myelography were (1) bad filling of ipsilateral root to sciatica and (2) good filling of contralateral root compared with those in neutral A-P view. Of total 77 patients, 67 had radiculopathy and 10 had no radiculopathy. In 23 (34.3%) of 67 patients with radiculopathy and 6 (60%) of 10 patients with no radiculopathy, their clinical symptoms well correlated with conventional myelographic findings. However, in 35 (52.2%) of 67 patients with radiculopathy and 6(60%) of 10 patients with no radiculopathy, their symptoms well correlated with functional myelographic findings. This study suggests that the functional myelogaphy using both lateral bending A-P views can be used as a complementary tool in the evaluation of the radiculopathy.