Common lumbosciatic syndrome of the elderly. Report of 67 cases

BACKGROUND: The common lombosciatic is a disease observed at all ages. To the elderly, clinical data, treatment, clinical outcome and prognosis present sometimes some peculiarities. AIM: Report of lombosciatic in the elderly. METHODS: It is a retrospective study including 67 cases of sciatica concerning old patients over 65 years presenting with common lombosciatica, hospitalized between January the 1-st, 2000 and December 31 st, 2004. RESULTS: The mean age of our patients is of 71.2 years, sex ratio female/male of 1.88. A chronic lumbago is found at 16.34% of our patients and a starting factor pains in 14.3% of cases. Pain is of progressive installation in 93.4 % of cases. Mechanical in 77.5 % of cases and impulsive in 55 % of cases. Sciatica was unilateral in 67.3% of cases and interesting the root L 5 in 40.8 % of cases. Physical exam find a painless attitude in 26.5% of cases and a spasm of spinal muscles in 65.3%. The average of sch?ber index is of 2.4 cms + 1.18. Lasègue is present in 36.7 % of cases. Neurological exam find overdrawn signs in 8 % of cases, sensory signs in 61.2% of cases. No cauda equine syndrome was individualized in our series. Lumbar spine X-rays, made in 98 % of cases, show a L5-S1 disc impairment in 83.6% of cases, a scoliotic attitude in 22.4 % of cases, a spondylolithesis of L4L5 in 26,5 % of cases and lumbar cannal stenosis in 12.2% of cases. Lumbar densitometry, realized in 22.4% of cases, shows a herniated disc in 27.2% of cases, and a lumbar canal stenosis in 27.2% of cases. The MRI, made once, was normal. During their hospitalization, 87.7% of patients received NSAID's, 18.4% of them analgesics drugs (landing I, II , III) and 79.6 % epidurals infiltrations. All our patients observed bed rest. A physiotherapy was prescribed for 44.9 % of them. A good outcome was quickly noticed in 85.7% of the patients. A therapeutic failure was observed at 14.3 %. 6% underwent surgery. Only 102 % of the non operated patient had pain recurrence. CONCLUSION: Nowadays sciatica is a frequent pathology either in oung or in geriatric population. Nevertheless it is necessary to eliminate a tumoral or infectious sciatica that can be misleading by the condition of the old age and by the frequent associated pathologies at such age.