A comparison of sonography and myelography in clinically suspected spinal stenosis

Anterio-posterior measurements of the subarachnoidal space of the lumbar spinal canal were obtained by myelography and by ultrasound. The correlation between the measurements is low and the distribution of the regression coefficient is considerable. The usefulness of diagnostic ultrasound as a screening procedure for patients with clinically suspected spinal stenosis, therefore, is limited. The noninvasive ultrasound method, nevertheless, has a certain value for selecting patients for myelography. An ultrasound measurement of 14 mm or more will exclude that the corresponding anterio-posterior measurement obtained at myelography is 8 mm or below.