[Lumbar phlebography: methodological choice and reliability in the radiographic study of lumbar disk hernias]

Lumbar epidural venography was used as the examination of choice in the investigation of suspected disc herniation in 270 patients. Compression or occlusion of an epidural and/or radicular vein at the disc level is the most significant venographic abnormality. In 110 patients operated on, the reliability of lumbar epidural venography was equal to 97.2%.