[Studies on the cervical facet joints using arthrography of the cervical facet joint (author's transl)]

In order to elucidate the pathological changes of the cervical facet joint probably representing one of the causes of the neck and shoulder pain, the author developed the arthrography of the cervical facet joint and applied this method to 157 joints of 83 patients. Eight cadavers were also used to evaluate the method based on an anatomical basis. Cervical facet joints of patients with tenderness on the lateral side of the neck were studied. The technic used in this method using X-ray T.V. was described and the arthrograms obtained on the dissected specimens were compared with the anatomical findings. The arthrogram of the middle and lower cervical facet joint was classified into the type with regular joint margin, the type with slightly irregular one and the type with irregular one, or the type with sharp lateral margin and the type with unsharp one. In 80% of the 142 joints in total, a communicating pathway was found from the facet joint to the interlaminar portion, interspinous portion, contralateral facet joint, para-extradural space and cervical extradural space. These arthrograms were analyzed. The visualization of the atlanto-axial joint was also achieved. Even in normal subject, a communication to the contralateral side via the surface of the axial spine was demonstrated.