Abstract
We studied 22 cases of lumbar disc herniation which had compressed the adjacent nerve root at surgery. Of these, 16 were male and 6 were female, ranging in age 23 to 74 years (mean; 43.2 years). The case of compression of the adjacent rerve root were upward migration of nucleus pulposus (12 cases), downward migration of nucleus pulposus (4 cases), lateral lumbar disc herniation (1 case) and nerve root anomaly (5 cases). It was possible to diagnose upward and downward migration of nucleus pulposus by preoperative neurological, myelographic, CT myelographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. However it was difficult to diagnose nerve root anomaly using these methods.
