Can axial pain be helpful to determine surgical level in the multilevel cervical radiculopathy?
Spine surgeons are required to differentiate symptomatic cervical disc herniation with asymptomatic radiographic herniation. Although the dermatomal sensory dysfunction of upper extremity is the most important clue, axial pain including cervicogenic headache and parascapular pain may be helpful to find surgical target level. However, there is no review article about the axial pain originated from cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and relieved by surgical decompression. The purpose is to review the literatures about the axial pain, which can be utilized in determining target level to be decompressed in the patients with cervical radiculopathy at multiple levels. Cervicogenic headaches of suboccipital headaches, retro-orbital pain, retro-auricular pain, or temporal pain may be associated with C2, C3, and C4 radiculopathies. The pain around scapula may be associated with C5, C6, C7, and C8 radiculopathies. However, there is insufficient evidence to make recommendations for the use in clinical practice because they did not evaluate sensitivity and specificity.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Medical College of Hallym University, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Bo-Kyung
BK
Suh
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Medical College of Hallym University, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Ki Han
KH
You
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Medical College of Hallym University, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Moon Soo
MS
Park
D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*
axial pain; cervical radiculopathy; surgical decompression; surgical level