Relationship of length of transverse process of seventh cervical vertebra with positive nerve conduction studies in cases of Brachialgia

Objectives: To determine the association between length of transverse process of seventh cervical vertebrae on plain x-ray cervical spine AP-view and nerve conduction studies of respective patients having brachialgia.Methods: The study was carried out at Department of Radiology, Military Hospital Rawalpindi in collaboration with Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM) Rawalpindi from January 2004 to December 2004. A total of 160 adult subjects were enrolled in this study including 80 volunteers with no history of brachialgia. Eighty subjects suffered from brachialgia and were documented to have abnormal nerve conduction studies/Electromyography referred from AFIRM Rawalpindi. X-ray cervical spine AP-view of all patients was taken. Relative risk (RR) was calculated to determine the association.Results: Eighty percent (64 out of 80) patients with brachialgia and documented abnormal nerve conduction studies had prominent transverse process of seventh cervical vertebrae on x-ray cervical spine AP-view. RR for developing brachialgia was 2.64 and association was statistically significant.Conclusion: X-ray cervical spine AP-view is a simple, quick and tolerable method of measuring transverse process of seventh cervical vertebra. This can predict which individuals are more likely to develop brachialgia.