[Herniated disk and congenital spinal stenosis in the adolescent].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The goal of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between herniated discs and congenital spinal stenosis. A retrospective study was conducted on patients seen in our center over a five year period.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The CT-Scan evaluation was essential for the measurement of the diameter of the spinal canal. Data were compared with the values obtained in ten normal subjects.

RESULTS

Twelve complete charts of adolescents with herniated discs were reviewed and in all cases a spinal stenosis was established. The mean diameter of the canal was 8.1 mm for the patient group compared with 18.1 mm for the control group.

CONCLUSION

The relationship of herniated discs and spinal stenosis found here is greater than the one reported in the literature. This relationship accounts for the importance of neurological (9/12 patients) involvement found in our series in comparison with adults. This also explains the failure of conservative treatment.