[Diagnostic imaging in sciatica. A short historical overview and current status].

Abstract

Cotugno described the clinical entity of sciatica in 1764. However, the association between sciatica and compression of lumbar nerve roots was not realized until the 1920s. Back surgery for herniated nucleus pulposus then became fashionable, and plain radiography and myelography enabled preoperative mapping. Recently other imaging techniques have emerged, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. This has increased the knowledge of the etiology of lumbar root compressions, and invasive therapies for sciatica have become more diversified. It is easy to lose perspective among the available imaging procedures and therapeutic techniques. The aim of this paper is to present the current status from a historical point of view, with special emphasis on the most common imaging methods for the investigation of lumbosacral radiculopathies.