[Stenosis of the lumbar canal: nosologic and semeiologic study. 163 operated cases]

The authors report a retrospective study of 163 cases of degenerative or constitutional stenosis of the lumbar canal. In this series, the most frequent cause was osteoarthrosis and constitutional stenoses were relatively rare. The authors note that this is often a difficult aetiological distinction to make, especially in elderly patients and the anatomical deformities caused by osteoarthrosis lead to stenosis of the canal similar to that seen in constitutional malformations. Sensori-motor claudication is inconstant and was only found in one third of the cases in this series. More often, the lumbar stenosis presents as nerve root pain. It can be distinguished from root disease of disc origin by the frequent absence of Lasegue's sign and of spinal stiffness. When a herniated disc is associated with a stenosis, the clinical picture is altered and can then resemble that of disc sciatica. The diagnosis of stenosis depends on the radiological examination. This series confirms the diagnostic value of the abnormalities seen on standard X-rays, but the severity and the extent of the stenosis can only be assessed by performing tomography, water-soluble contrast myelography and C.T. scan. The authors discuss the limitations and degree of reliability of each of these investigations. The extent of the surgical decompression depends on the severity of the symptoms and on the results of this radiological survey.