Eighteen patients with cervical radiculopathy were entered into a prospective study to compare the accuracy of surface coil magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with that of metrizamide myelography and computed tomography (CT) with metrizamide. All MR studies included tailored axial and oblique images as well as routine sagittal images. All imaging studies were evaluated for topography and type of disease. Nine of 18 patients subsequently underwent cervical surgery with an anterior interbody approach at 11 levels. The surface coil MR findings concerning disease topography and type concurred with the surgical findings at nine of 11 levels (82%). At three levels, the oblique view added important information not available on the sagittal images or clarified changes seen on the axial images. Metrizamide myelography with CT metrizamide myelography had findings concurrent with surgical findings at ten of 11 levels (91%).