Superior facet syndrome—3例の報告と文献的考察

The Superior Facet Syndrome:Report of Three Cases and a Review of the Literature

Ⅰ．はじめに

　腰部脊椎管狭窄症を臨床的にみると2つに大別出来る，第1は脊椎管の前後径が短縮し管腔が狭小化し，cauda equina全体が圧迫されるもの（major type of lumbar canal stonosis）^11）でもう1つは1〜数本のrootがlateral recessusの狭小化のために絞扼されるものである^3）．

　後者については1933年Ghormley^6）は"the facet syndrome"という名称を用いposterior facetのosteo-arthritisによる根性坐骨神経痛を報告しているが，Epsteinら^4）はこれと異なった原因でnerve root entrap-mentがおこる症候群を記載し"superior facet syn-drome"と命名した．わが国においても最近伊藤ら^7）の報告がある．

Within the past 6 months we paid special attention to the superior facet syndrome on examining the patients with lumbar pain at the outpatient clinic. Out of 264 patients who complained of lumbago or sciatica, this syndrome was suspected in three patients and verified in all of them by operation.

Neurologically it was difficult to differentiate this syn-drome from disc protrusion or other related conditions.