Radio-clinical correlation in degenerative narrow lumbar canal

Degenerative narrow lumbar canal (DLC) is a common pathology from the fifth decade onwards. Diagnosis of degenerative lumbar stenosis is clinico-radiological. MRI is the standard diagnostic tool for CLE. However patient perception of symptoms is not always compatible with radiological findings and this is a matter of debate. CLE is an anatomo-clinical syndrome with complex relationships between the degree of stenosis and clinical manifestations. Our study is a retrospective descriptive study of 82 patients followed for degenerative narrow canallumbar. It was based on the Schizas classification which is a qualitative morphological classification. Our study found a significant correlation between the grade of stenosis of the cauda equina rootlets and motor deficit (p=0.001) and pain intensity. However we found no association between the degree of stenosis and functional disability or walking ability.