N'Gbesso R D, Alla K B, Kéita A K
Service de radiologie, CHU de Yopougon, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Sante. 1997 Nov-Dec;7(6):373-7.
Radiculography is used a great deal in our region and is often the only method available for examination of the lumbar spine. However, there has been little evaluation of the effectiveness of radiculography for lumbar diseases. To determine its value and indications in lumbar diseases we studied 322 patients who underwent radiculography. We studied 223 patients retrospectively and 99 patients prospectively. Radiculography had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 86%, a positive predictive value of 92.7% and a negative predictive value of 100%. We found that the diagnostic accuracy of radiculography was higher if the examination was requested by a neuropathologist, if the patient had been ill for more than 2 months or had cauda equina syndrome, acute root pain, paralysis or debilitation. Such precise indications make it possible to avoid excessive examination and to make the best use of radiculography, particularly in areas without CT and MRI facilities. However, the examination should always be performed by a neuroradiologist or a physician with several years' radiculography experience.
神经根造影术在我们地区被大量使用，并且常常是检查腰椎的唯一可用方法。然而，对于腰椎疾病，神经根造影术的有效性评估很少。为了确定其在腰椎疾病中的价值和适应症，我们研究了322例接受神经根造影术的患者。我们对223例患者进行了回顾性研究，对99例患者进行了前瞻性研究。神经根造影术的敏感性为100%，特异性为86%，阳性预测值为92.7%，阴性预测值为100%。我们发现，如果由神经病理学家要求进行检查，如果患者患病超过2个月或患有马尾综合征、急性神经根痛、瘫痪或虚弱，则神经根造影术的诊断准确性更高。这些精确的适应症使得避免过度检查并充分利用神经根造影术成为可能，特别是在没有CT和MRI设备的地区。然而，该检查应由神经放射科医生或有多年神经根造影经验的医生进行。
