title: Lumbar spinal stenosis. Clinical and radiologic features.
abstract: METHODS
  A prospective, randomized study of patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of clinical and radiologic characteristics and relationship.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis is frequently used and represents a wide variety of patients with more or less well-defined spinal disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred patients who met inclusion criteria were consecutively selected from a neurology department and examined clinically and radiologically with plain radiography, myelography, and computed tomographic imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Duration of complaints was long, and multilevel, bilateral afflictions were common. The dominanting symptoms were sciatica, neurogenic claudication, and low back pain. The clinical findings were modest. Narrowness in the spinal canal was demonstrated radiologically with signs of compression on nerve roots, centrally and/or laterally. The radiologic findings were more extensive than expected from the clinical symptoms and signs. In most patients the sagittal diameter of the spinal canal increased on flexion and decreased on extension of the spine. An exception was demonstrated in 33 patients where extension increased the diameter, usually at one level. Radiologic subgroups of stenosis were found, but their clinical relationship could hardly be identified. No definite association between the degree of narrowing and clinical symptoms was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A clinical picture is demonstrated in 100 patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis. Different types of stenosis are found radiologically, but their clinical relationships are not identified. The radiologic changes were more extensive than expected from the clinical picture, and the degree of narrowing did not correspond to the degree of clinical affliction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Ullevål Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Amundsen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lilleås
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Nordal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdelnoor
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Magnaes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007866:Leg; D017116:Low Back Pain; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009192:Myelography; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010146:Pain; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012585:Sciatica / Q000209:etiology; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*