[The superior facet syndrome--report of three cases and a review of the literature (author's transl)].

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 syndrome from disc protrusion or other related conditions. On the other hand, plain roentgenographic examinations were valuable: horizontal portion of the superior facet was larger and thicker than normal so that the a-p view of the lumbar spine showed a large bulbous processes joining in the frontal plane, and a narrowing of the interlaminal spaces was seen in some case. A differential diagnosis between this syndrome and the major type of lumbar canal stenosis can be made by means of dynamic myelography. Although the myelography with watersoluble contrast medium reveals nerve roots better than Myodil myelography, identification of the nerve roots at the lateral recesses is not necessarily easy, and the final diagnosis has to be made at operation.