[The distribution of nerve endings in the human cervical nerve roots].
OBJECTIVE
To find out the distribution of nerve endings in the dural sheath of cervical nerve roots and to study the mechanism of cervical radicular pain.


METHODS
2069 20 microm serial sections were made from 39 cervical root-dorsal root ganglion specimens obtained from 18 postmortems. By using optical microscope and Suzuki silver impregnation method and Klüver-Brrera method, we examined the morphology, quantity and distribution of the nerve ending in the nerve sheath of the root, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and the spinal nerve of these sections.


RESULTS
There were several kinds of nerve endings such as free nerve endings in the nerve sheath of the root, the dorsal root ganglion, and the spinal nerve. Free nerve endings were distributed in the proximal and distal portions of DRG sheath more extensive than that in other parts of the dural root-sheaths.


CONCLUSIONS
The free nerve endings in the dural root-sheaths especially those in the DRG sheath are thought to play an important role in cervical radicular pain.
Li
Z
Z
Department of Orthopaedics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029.
Tsuzuki
N
N
Takahashi
K
K
Li
Z
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002572:Cervical Plexus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D009411:Nerve Endings / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000033:anatomy & histology*