Cervical radiculopathy. Clinical, radiographic and EMG findings

This retrospective study reviewed clinical, radiographic, and electromyographic (EMG) findings in 108 patients with cervical radiculopathy. Radiographic evaluation included measurements of the size of the intervertebral foramina and the space for the intervertebral disk. The results showed that the clinical findings correlated well with the EMG abnormalities but not with the radiographic findings. The extent of the intervertebral foramen and the disk space narrowing correlated poorly with the severity of EMG abnormalities. It is suggested that radiographic findings alone may be an inadequate basis for a diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy. EMG examination may be very helpful in such a diagnosis and may be more accurate in assessing radiculopathy than the plain films in certain cases.