Objective. Dermatomal somatosensory evoked potentials (DSEPs) are used to evaluate abnormalities of the somatosensory tract. There have been some studies on the diagnostic value of DSEP in radiculopathy, but it is still controversial. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the diagnostic implication and clinical relevance of DSEPs in patients with radiculopathy by comparing DSEP findings to radiculopathy symptoms and intervertebral foramen (IVF) or spinal canal stenosis in lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods. This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of patients (n = 59) who were examined by DSEP (each L4 and L5 dermatome) and lumbar MRI. Radiculopathy symptoms and DSEPs results were compared. For the evaluation of IVF and spinal canal size, sagittal (each bilateral L4/5 and L5/S1 IVF) and axial MR images were selected at the most stenotic level. The sizes of the IVF and spinal canal were measured by the pixel counts of selected MR images. In addition, stenosis severity was morphologically graded on a 4-point scale. DSEP results were compared with the size and grade of the IVF or spinal canal stenosis. Results. DSEPs showed high sensitivity for radiculopathy symptoms. The IVF size at L4/5 and L5/S1 (pixel counts) was significantly related to either L4 or L5 dermatomal somatosensory pathway dysfunction, respectively. However, spinal stenosis (pixel counts and grade) and IVF stenosis grade were not significantly related to DSEPs. Conclusion. This paper could be helpful in the electrophysiologic diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy.

中文翻译：

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神经根病患者皮节体感诱发电位的诊断意义和临床相关性：一项回顾性研究

目标。皮肤体感诱发电位 (DSEP) 用于评估体感异常。DSEP对神经根病的诊断价值已有一些研究，但仍存在争议。我们研究的目的是通过将 DSEP 发现与神经根病症状和腰椎磁共振成像 (MRI) 中的椎间孔 (IVF) 或椎管狭窄进行比较，评估 DSEPs 在神经根病患者中的诊断意义和临床相关性。方法。这项回顾性研究回顾了患者的病历 ( n = 59) 通过 DSEP（每个 L4 和 L5 皮节）和腰椎 MRI 检查。比较了神经根病症状和 DSEPs 结果。为了评估 IVF 和椎管大小，在最狭窄的水平选择矢状（每个双侧 L4/5 和 L5/S1 IVF）和轴向 MR 图像。IVF 和椎管的大小通过所选 MR 图像的像素数来测量。此外，狭窄严重程度按 4 分制进行形态学分级。DSEP 结果与试管婴儿或椎管狭窄的大小和等级进行了比较。结果. DSEP 对神经根病症状表现出高度敏感性。L4/5 和 L5/S1（像素计数）的 IVF 大小分别与 L4 或 L5 皮区体感通路功能障碍显着相关。然而，椎管狭窄（像素计数和等级）和 IVF 狭窄等级与 DSEP 没有显着相关性。结论。本文对腰神经根病的电生理诊断有一定的帮助。