A study and analysis of spinal canal diseases in the Black Lion Hospital by myelography.

Sixty seven lumbar and thoracic myelographic examinations were performed during the period February 1987 to September 1988. Fourteen patients (21%) had normal myelography while 53 (79%) patients had pathological findings. Spinal canal tumours accounted for the majority of complete CSF blocks (76.7%) Seventy-five per cent of the intradural tumours showed no abnormality on plain films of the vertebral column, whereas 75% of the extradural tumours had pathological findings. Dorsal (central) disc herniation was more frequent (70%) than lateral herniation with almost equal distribution at L5-S1 and L4-L5 disc spaces. Central disc herniation was more common at L4-L5 (71%). The measurement of the interpedicular distance on plain radiograph was not found to be diagnostic in our single case of spinal stenosis.