title: Preoperative diagnosis of conjoined roots anomaly with herniated lumbar disks.
abstract: Twelve cases of nerve root anomalies encountered during investigation for low back pain and sciatica are presented. Most of these patients had a herniated lumbar intervertebral disk and were operated upon with the preoperative knowledge of an associate nerve root malformation. Three patients were found to have a symptomatic nerve root malformation without disk herniation. These patients were conservatively treated. In all cases we found a constant myelographic sign that is described.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009192:Myelography; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery