Diagnostic Evaluation of Low Back Pain with Emphasis on Imaging

PURPOSE: To review evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of clinical information and imaging for patients with low back pain in primary care settings. DATA SOURCE: MEDLINE search (January 1966 to September 2001) for articles and reviews relevant to the accuracy of the clinical and radiographic examination of patients with low back pain. STUDY SELECTION: The authors reviewed abstracts and selected articles for review on the basis of a combined judgment. Data on the clinical examination were based primarily on recent systematic reviews; data on imaging tests were based primarily on original articles. DATA EXTRACTION: Diagnostic results were extracted by one or the other author. Quality of methods was evaluated…