The role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of patients with low back pain and lumbosacral radicular syndrome

Abstract

Lumbosacral radicular syndrome is characterized by radiating pain that follows a dermatomal pattern. However, radiculopathy is not a cause of back pain; rather, nerve root impingement, disc herniation, facet arthropathy, and other conditions are causes of back pain. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in establishing the cause of clinical symptoms and associated spinal pathology in patients with low back pain and lumbosacral radicular syndrome.