title: [Sciatalgy: which imaging in first intention?].
abstract: Lombosciatalgy is a very common pathology and accounts for one of the most important problems of the public health. Usually it is a symptom that decreases with medical treatment. MRI or CT examinations may be asked for when symptoms persist for more than 7 weeks after medical treatment, symptoms increase or if there is a manipulation or infiltration foreseen. When there is a doubt on the specific origin of the symptoms, in other words when the pathology is secondary to an inflammatory/infectious, traumatic or tumoral aetiology, X-rays are performed followed by a complementary examination by CT or MRI. A CT-scan will be performed mainly in the workup of pathology of the intervertebral disk, or in a posttraumatic setting. An MRI is advisable when there is a suspicion of a primary or secondary tumour, infection or inflammation and in stenosis of the spinal canal.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Imagerie Médicale, C.H.U. Brugmann, Bruxelles. luisa.divano@chu-brugmann.be
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Divano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mabiglia
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012585:Sciatica / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed