Issue release date: 12.11.2024
2 Associate Professor of Radiology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
3 Professor of Physical Medidne and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
4 Resident in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University. Ankara, Turkey It is easy to make the diagnosis of lateral recess syndrome{LRS} when radiological and clinical findings are evaluated together. Nerve roots are compressed at the lateral recess; centrally at the subarticular region by superior articular facet hypertrophy, congenital stenosis or posteriolateral osteophytes; at the distal portion of the lateral recess, foraminal stenosis, extreme lateral disc herniations, or osteophytic formations, cause nerve root entrapment. In this syndrome low back and leg pain are sclerotomal, and intermittent in nature. Typically it is not affacted by the Valsalva manoeuvre. Pain is alleviated on sitting and neuroradiological findings are chronic arid insignificant. In neuroradiological evaluation plain radiography, poly tomography and myelography have significant importance. Similar results can be obtained by poly tomography in addition to computed tomography(CT). Differential diagnosis is difficult by myelography and the findings appear as root amputation or flattening.
In the present study 48 patients are presented. The depth of their lateral recess measured by CT was found to be 2-3 mm. Patients with depths of 2-3 mm had the most signigicant symptoms and neurological findings. We could not detect any significant difference in the symptoms and the clinical findings of the groups with a depth of 3-4 mm and 4-5 mm. There was no symptomatic patient with a depth of> 5 mm.
Only few literature sources have been found dealing with LRS; and our findings are similar to the results in these articles. Nowadays, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) facilitates the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of this syndrome and certainly is more helpful and useful than myelography.
Keywords : Lateral recess syndrome; low back pain; computed tomography