Clinical evaluation of the spinal cord and nerve roots.

In this article the techniques of clinical neurological evaluation are discussed. It is suggested that correlation of the initial clinical evaluation with radiological investigation remains the most efficient method to determine the type, timing, and appropriateness of surgical intervention. An appreciation of the logical somatotopic organization of spinal cord tracts and cell groups forms the basis of precise localization and provides some insight into the etiology and prognosis of spinal cord dysfunction.