Abstract
Ninety-three consecutive treadmill exercise stress tests were performed for the assessment of peripheral vascular function. Thirty-one were for atypical claudication-like symptoms including pain on standing, relief on sitting and back pain. Pedal pulses were palpable in 24 patients. Twentyfive patients (81%) had a negative stress test, suggesting a non-vascular aetiology and this finding was subsequently confirmed in 24 of the 25. The final diagnoses were spinal stenosis 13, [CT = 3, myelogram = 5, neurosurgeon opinion = 4, MRI = 1], myositis 2, restless leg syndrome 2 and osteoarthritis 7. Four patients had symptoms due to a combination of peripheral occlusive arterial disease and spinal stenosis; the latter was considered the predominant disorder in all four. Of the original 31 patients with atypical symptoms, spinal stenosis was present in 13 (42%). Atypia — in the common syndrome of intermittent claudication should alert the surgeon to the possibility of spinal canal disorders. Further investigation may identify significant pathology spinal stenosis in particular.
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Maher, M., Hehir, D.J., Neary, P. et al. Spinal claudication versus arterial claudication. I.J.M.S. 165, 118–120 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943798
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943798