Search

The authors emphasize the misleading images of lumbar myelography encountered in common vertebral diseases: disk disease, posterior interapophyseal joint diseases, degenerative and narrow spinal canal, in which dynamic views in the upright position represent the most original contribution of lumbosacral myelography as compared to new techniques. The authors also describe the postoperative appearances observed on lumbosacral myelography and some rarer diseases which must not be missed, such as epidural arachnoid cysts and epidural lipomatosis.

Cervical myelography is obtained after injection of contrast medium into the lumbar subarachnoid space through a lumbar puncture. The patient is prone with a large radiolucent block under the pelvis so that the site of lumbar puncture is at a higher level than that of the cervical spine lordosis. Lumbar contrast is injected gently so that the contrast fluid slides along the ventral aspect of the dural sac and immediately reaches the cervical subarachnoid space. Then AP and lateral (with a horizontal X-ray beam) views are obtained. The patient has to remain firmly immobilized during the whole procedure to avoid blending of the contrast medium with CSF. This procedure is safe and allows cervical myelography to reach the same quality as that obtained through cervical puncture.