R. Laitt et al., PATTERNS OF CHRONIC ADHESIVE ARACHNOIDITIS FOLLOWING MYODIL MYELOGRAPHY - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPINAL-CANAL STENOSIS AND PREVIOUS SURGERY, British journal of radiology, 69(824), 1996, pp. 693-698
109 patients who had undergone Myodil myelography on at least one occa
sion were identified. The patterns of lumbar nerve root distribution i
n this group were examined using magnetic resonance imaging. The relat
ionship between these patterns and the presence of spinal stenosis or
previous surgery was investigated. Chronic adhesive arachnoiditic nerv
e root patterns were seen in 68 patients and were classified into thre
e groups according to Delemarter et al. Central clumping of nerve root
s (type 1) and complete opacification of the thecal sac (type 3), exte
nding over at least one vertebral level, were significantly related to
spinal stenosis at an adjacent level (p<0.0001). Peripheral adhesion
of nerve roots to the theca (type 2) was significantly related to prev
ious surgery at the level of abnormality (p<0.00005). Only a single ca
se of arachnoiditic nerve root patterns was seen in the absence of ste
nosis or previous surgery. We conclude that chronic adhesive arachnoid
itis is significantly related to previous Myodil myelography in the pr
esence of spinal stenosis or previous surgery but that Myodil alone ra
rely produces these changes.