[Clinico-radiologic correlations in common neck pain]

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Spine Surgery

Background:

• Common cervicodynia presents with neck pain, headache, dizziness, and upper limb pain.
• Diagnosis is often made in the absence of trauma or neurological signs, focusing on arthromuscular structures.
• Cervicodynia is increasingly viewed as a metameric disorder involving multiple structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the clinical-radiologic correlation in patients with common cervicodynia.
• To assess the relationship between isolated radiographic signs and clinical symptoms in the cervical spine.
• To evaluate the diagnostic value of standard cervical spine radiography in cervicodynia.

Main Methods:

• A series of 130 symptomatic patients with common cervicodynia were studied.
• Patients underwent anteroposterior, lateral, and functional (flexion-extension) radiographs of the cervical spine.
• Radiographs were analyzed for isolated signs per functional unit to correlate with clinical symptoms.

Main Results:

• Vertebral rotation was the most frequent isolated sign (79/130), showing strong clinical correlation (70/79).
• Other signs with significant clinical-radiologic agreement included atloaxial rotation (12/13), functional blockage (11/13), angular flexion (19/21), and disc space thinning (10/12).
• Degenerative changes like interapophyseal arthrosis had a poorer clinical impact compared to other radiologic signs.

Conclusions:

• Clinical-radiologic correlation confirms the high diagnostic value of cervical spine radiography in common cervicodynia.
• Anteroposterior, lateral, and functional radiographs are valuable tools for clinicians diagnosing cervicodynia.
• Specific isolated radiographic findings, such as vertebral rotation, are strongly associated with clinical symptoms.