Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 17, Issue 2 117-122, Copyright © 1998 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Paraspinal ultrasonography: lack of accuracy in evaluating patients with cervical or lumbar back pain
L. N. Nazarian, H. G. Zegel, K. R. Gilbert, S. L. Edell, B. L. Bakst and B. B. Goldberg
Department of Radiology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-5244, USA.
This study evaluates the ability of paraspinal ultrasonography to identify
abnormal echogenicity in patients with cervical or lumbar back pain, or
both. Paraspinal ultrasonography was performed on 82 subjects, including 23
asymptomatic controls. Echogenicity in the region of nerve roots and facets
was assessed. Readings were correlated with location of patients' symptoms,
if any. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that
evaluation of nerve roots by all four readers did not differ significantly
from chance (0.07 < P < 0.99). Specificities ranged from 0 to 0.68.
Kappa values were 0.06 for cervical and -0.06 for lumbar spine.
Ultrasonography was unable to demonstrate abnormal echogenicity adjacent to
facets in symptomatic patients. Paraspinal ultrasonography is neither
accurate nor reproducible in evaluating patients with cervical and lumbar
back pain.
