No clear winner in differing imaging modalities for cervical radiculopathy.

Abstract

We review the literature pertaining to the strengths and limitation of myelography, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relative to developing a diagnostic algorithm in the evaluation of cervical radiculopathy. To obtain the relevant literature, a Medline search was conducted using selected keywords and phrases. In addition, the bibliography of all retrieved articles was searched and pertinent articles were obtained and evaluated. The analysis revealed that developing a research based algorithm of imaging studies for the evaluation of cervical radiculopathy is not currently realistic. Furthermore, we found that most studies on the predictive value of imaging studies for cervical radiculopathy are outdated by more recent technology.