CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID PROTEIN CONCENTRATIONS RELATED TO CLINICAL FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH SCIATICA CAUSED BY DISK HERNIATION

The protein concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is often in creased in patients with sciatica, probably due to leaking of plasma p roteins through the blood-nerve root barrier into CSF. Positive straig ht leg raising test, paresis, altered sensibility, reduced reflexes, a nd type of treatment were related to the CSF protein concentrations in 180 patients with sciatica caused by verified lumbar disk herniation. Significantly higher values of the CSF/serum albumin ratio and the CS F/serum immunoglobulin G ratio were found both in patients with positi ve straight leg raising test results and paresis compared with patient s with no clinical findings. In the patients who had undergone emergen cy surgery, the same ratio parameters were significantly higher when c ompared with those who had undergone routine surgery and those had not undergone surgery. Elevated CSF proteins seem to be important indicat ors of the functional status of the nerve root and a measure of the de gree of seriousness of sciatica. The interaction of smoking on CSF pro teins was also studied.