Epidural venography in the diagnosis of lumbar disc disease.

Epidural venography is a simple and effective technic in the diagnosis of herniated intervertebral discs. The procedure may be performed in the outpatient department using percutaneous transfemoral catheterization. Our experience in 87 cases suggests that epidural venography is superior to Pantopaque myelography at the L5-S1 level, comparable to, and in some cases superior, at the L4-L5 level. The epidural venogram was abnormal in 33 cases. The findings were confirmed at operation in 25 of these. The remaining eight patients are being followed or are awaiting surgical treatment. Twenty of the 25 cases had had normal Pantopaque myelograms. Fifty-four of the 87 cases were considered to be normal.