The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis whether clinically manifest stenosis of the cervical spinal canal is significantly associated with subclinical or clinically manifest lumbar stenosis. Prospec- tively a group of 31 patients was examined with spondylogenic cervical myelopathy caused by cervical stenosis. All patients were examined clinically and by CT at the level of L4 and L5 to assess the standard dimensions of the spinal canal. Normal CT data were obtained by examination of 28 controls of similar age. Signs of an abnormally narrow lumbar canal according to CT were recorded in 11 patients (in all instances stenosis of the lateral recess or interarticular diameter). Nine patients had a mediolateral protrusion or herniation of a disc (incl. 4 patients with lateral stenosis). An abnormally reduced anteroposterior diameter of the lumbar canal at the level of the vertebral body suggesting congenital stenosis of the canal was found only in one patient. Clinical signs of lumbosacral radiculopathy and/or syndrome of neurogenic claudication were found in 11 patients with spondylogenic cervical myelopat- hy (35 %), incl. 8 where a radiological CT correlate at the level of L4-S1 was found. A high prevalence of subclinical and clinically manifest lumbar stenosis in patients with spondylogenic cervical myelo- pathy must be taken into consideration when evaluating clinical symptoms of spondylogenic cervical myelopathy. The association of stenosis in the cervical and lumbar portion of the spine is conditioned by the concurrent development of spondylosis in both portions of the spine.

        Key words: lumbar spinal stenosis, cervical spinal stenosis, spondylogenic cervical myelopathy