[Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of back pain from the neurological point of view]

Abstract

Affections of the vertebral body, the intervertebral disc, the epidural and subdural space, the nerve root, and the spinal cord may have back pain as the main symptom. Initially a topical diagnosis is established in the light of the neurologic symptoms and signs (segmental "beltlike" pain, radicular motor and sensory signs, central mono-, para-, and tetraparesis, as well as sensory signs and bladder dysfunction). Degenerative changes and herniated discs are the most frequent causes of cervical and lumbar spinal disease with neurologic signs, followed by extramedullary tumors. In the extradural space metastases, plasmocytoma, lymphomas and primary bone tumors are the most common, and neurinomas and meningiomas in the intradural space. In the spinal cord ependymomas and astrocytomas are found, as well as benign cavities (syringomyelia). Conditions which are rare, but very important because treatable at an early stage, are spinal epidural hematomas with anticoagulation and spinal epidural abscesses. Vertebral osteomyelitis must also be considered in differential diagnosis. Inflammatory nerve root lesions seldom cause pain, except for subacute demyelinating polyneuropathy responding to corticosteroid treatment, and radiculitis caused by borrelia and herpes zoster.