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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Aged, Aging, Electrodiagnosis, Electromyography, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Lumbosacral Region, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Nerve Compression Syndromes, Neural Conduction, Radiculopathy, Retrospective Studies, Spinal Nerve Roots, Spinal Stenosis, Spine.
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Do diffuse age-related lumbar mri changes confound diagnosis of single ( L5 ) root lesions? Context: L5 radiculopathy has characteristic clinical and electrodiagnostic features including: radicular pain; weakness or denervation of hip abductors, ankle dorsiflexors, and inverters; and pre-ganglionic dorsal foot sensory loss. It is unknown how often patients with this distinctive clinical-electrodiagnostic presentation have isolated L5-root compression on neuroimaging or more widespread, possibly age-related, lumbar neuroforaminal or spinal stenosis. A study-blinded neuroradiologist quantitated lumbosacral neuroforaminal, lateral recess, and spinal stenosis in 26 consecutive patients with unilateral, clinically and EMG-ascertained L5 monoradiculopathy, and quantitated a global neuroforaminal and spinal stenosis score (SSS). Only 9 patients (35%) had isolated L5-root compression, 14 (54%) had multi-root compression, and 3 (12%) had normal neuroimaging. Increasing age correlated with SSS, and the 9 patients with isolated L5-root compression were significantly younger than patients with multi-root involvement.
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This study underscores the role of clinical and electrodiagnostic data when interpreting lumbosacral neuroimaging, particularly in older patients. Final Decision: yes