The symptomatic spine: relevant and irrelevant roentgen variants and variations.

Localized disease of the spine may be related to a variety of etiologies. Although each of these processes may be delineated in a variety of ways, including some of the new imaging modalities, the majority of these lesions can be clearly identified on the basis of routine radiograms. Several types of localized spinal column lesions are discussed, with an emphasis on their appearance on a standard plain film.