Paravertebral venous plexus distention (Batson's) - An inciting etiologic agent in lumbar radiculopathy as observed by venous angiography

Can the paravertebral plexus of veins adjacent to the spinal nerve root wit hin the narrow confines of the lateral neural canal be a collateral generat or of radicular pain when no other evidence of spinal pathology is evident? A patient with complaints of intractable lumbar radiculopathy and an other wise unremarkable clinical neuromusculoskeletal examination, as well as nor mal imaging and electrodiagnostic studies, is reviewed with special referen ce to symptomatic and paravertebral venous responses to both a Valsalva man euver and dipyridamole infusion as imaged by magnetic venous angiography.