[Lumbar lateral recess and intervertebral foramen. Radio-anatomical study]

The recent developments in Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) allow an accurate analysis of the anatomical structures of the lateral recess and of the neural foramen (vertebral body, pedicle, zygapophyseal joints, ligamentum flavum, intervertebral disk) and their contents (spinal ganglion, nerves roots, foraminal veins, surrounding fat). The aim of this study is 1) to describe the normal anatomy and variants of the lateral recess and of the lumbar neural foramen, and 2) to present the main diseases involving this anatomical area.