[Reoperation after treatment of a disk hernia. Comparison between radiology and surgical findings in 18 cases]

Eighteen patients with recurrent sciatica after lumbar disc surgery were investigated by both, myelography and computed tomography (CT) before reoperation. The radiological diagnosis according to the original x-ray report was correlated with the surgical findings at reoperation. Myelography reports describe morphological changes but often contain no definite diagnosis. CT reports usually contain detailed tissue diagnosis, but correlation with surgical findings is generally poor. Review of the original x-ray films leads to the following conclusions: At present, myelography is always indicated, except in suspected extreme lateral disc herniation. CT should be reserved for particular clinical or myelographic problems.