Lumbar Radiculopathy Contralateral to the Side of Lumbar Disc Herniation
The charts and radiographic records of seven patients with lumbar radiculopathy contralateral to the side of lumbar disc herniation were examined to explain the resulting sciatica. All of these patients had L5 radiculopathy with contralateral disc herniation at the L4-L5 intervertebral disc. Two patients underwent L4-L5 discectomy by the disc herniation side approach. Because these were preoperative findings of lateral recess stenosis on the symptomatic side, two other patients underwent L4-L5 discectomy by the disc herniation side approach and opposite side fenestration. In both of these patients, epidural fat tissue around the disc herniation side L5 nerve root was present and opposite side epidural fat tissue was absent, with congested fibrous changes to the surface of the dural sac around the lateral recess. Another patient underwent percutaneous nucleotomy. Morphologically, it might be inferred that the friction radiculitis could have occurred as a lumbar radiculopathy due to compression toward the opposite side caused by disc herniation. The results of this study showed that lumbar radiculopathy contralateral to the side of lumbar disc herniation is related to lateral recess stenosis and friction radiculitis.
