title: Swelling of the cauda equina in patients who have herniation of a lumbar disc. A possible pathogenesis of sciatica.
abstract: Morphological changes in the cauda equina in patients who have herniation of a lumbar disc have not been previously reported, to our knowledge. Using computed tomographic myelography, we found swelling of nerve-root elements in the cauda equina that corresponded to the affected root in seventeen of twenty-eight patients who had proved herniation of a lumbar disc. All seventeen patients had severe sciatica. The swelling of the nerve-root elements gradually returned to normal after surgical decompression, which was also associated with improvement of the sciatica. Patients who did not have severe sciatica did not show swollen nerve-root elements. These findings may be an important clue to the mechanism of sciatic pain in patients who have herniation of a lumbar disc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002420:Cauda Equina / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D012447:Sacrum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012585:Sciatica / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed