腰部外側神経根障害におけるMRIの有用性

抄録

This study evaluated the usefulness of MRI in the diagnosis of intra and extraforaminal lumbar nerve root compression, which is difficult to diagnose by myelogram. We retrospectively analyzed 14 patients with intra and extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation and 7 patients with lumbar foraminal encroachment between July 1993 and June 1996.
Parasagittal and axial images in T2WI were analyzed. Decrease of fat tissue around the nerve root was reported in 92.9% of cases with in lumbar disc herniation and 100% in foraminal encroachment. Enhanced MRI was useful for identifying nerve root compression caused by lumbar disc herniation which we couldn't diagnose by parasagittal and axial MRI.