Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Cervical Spine and Spinal Cord

1987 ◽  
pp. 97-101
Author(s):  
Ch. G. Ullrich
2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (06) ◽  
pp. 514-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Owen ◽  
M. A. Bush

SummaryA five-year-old neutered female Bassett Hound weighing 29 kg was presented with a two-day history of paraparesis. Neurological examination and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of extruded disc material ventral to the spinal cord, from the C7-T1 intervertebral disc. A ventral slot was performed to decompress the cord. In making the approach to the caudal cervical spine, the cranial aspect of the manubrium of the sternum was resected. This improved the exposure of a region normally difficult to expose via a conventional ventral approach to the cervical spine. The successful performance of the ventral slot procedure was greatly facilitated by this adaptation, which was quick and simple to perform, without any apparent adverse affects to the animal.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aria Nouri ◽  
Lindsay Tetreault ◽  
Satoshi Nori ◽  
Allan R Martin ◽  
Anick Nater ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Congenital spinal stenosis (CSS) of the cervical spine is a risk factor for acute spinal cord injury and development of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). OBJECTIVE To develop magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based criteria to diagnose preexisting CSS and evaluate differences between patients with and without CSS. METHODS A secondary analysis of international prospectively collected data between 2005 and 2011 was conducted. We examined the data of 349 surgical DCM patients and 27 controls. Spinal canal and cord anteroposterior diameters were measured at noncompressed sites to calculate spinal cord occupation ratio (SCOR). Torg–Pavlov ratios and spinal canal diameters from radiographs were correlated with SCOR. Clinical and MRI factors were compared between patients with and without CSS. Surgical outcomes were also assessed. RESULTS Calculation of SCOR was feasible in 311/349 patients. Twenty-six patients with CSS were identified (8.4%). Patients with CSS were younger than patients without CSS (P = .03) and had worse baseline severity as measured by the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association score (P = .04), Nurick scale (P = .05), and Neck Disability Index (P < .01). CSS patients more commonly had T2 cord hyperintensity changes (P = .09, ns) and worse SF-36 Physical Component scores (P = .06, ns). SCOR correlated better with Torg–Pavlov ratio and spinal canal diameter at C3 than C5. Patients with SCOR ≥ 65% were also younger but did not differ in baseline severity. CONCLUSION SCOR ≥ 70% is an effective criterion to diagnose CSS. CSS patients develop myelopathy at a younger age and have greater impairment and disability than other patients with DCM. Despite this, CSS patients have comparable duration of symptoms, MRI presentations, and surgical outcomes to DCM patients without CSS.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kern H. Guppy ◽  
Mark Hawk ◽  
Indro Chakrabarti ◽  
Amit Banerjee

The authors present 2 cases involving patients who presented with myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed spinal cord signal changes on T2-weighted images without any spinal cord compression. Flexion-extension plain radiographs of the spine showed no instability. Dynamic MR imaging of the cervical spine, however, showed spinal cord compression on extension. Compression of the spinal cord was caused by dynamic anulus bulging and ligamentum flavum buckling. This report emphasizes the need for dynamic MR imaging of the cervical spine for evaluating spinal cord changes on neutral position MR imaging before further workup for other causes such as demyelinating disease.


2014 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 919-923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan N. Sellin ◽  
Baraa Al-Hafez ◽  
Edward A. M. Duckworth

The authors report a case of trigeminal hypesthesia caused by compression of the spinal cord by a C-2 segmental-type vertebral artery (VA) that was successfully treated with microvascular decompression. Aberrant intradural VA loops have been reported as causes of cervical myelopathy, some of which improved with microvascular decompression. A 52-year-old man presented with progressive complaints of headache, dizziness, left facial numbness, and left upper-extremity paresthesia that worsened when turning his head to the right. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed the left VA passing intradurally between the axis and atlas, foregoing the C-1 foramen transversarium, and impinging on the spinal cord. The patient underwent left C-1 and C-2 hemilaminectomies followed by microvascular decompression of an aberrant VA loop compressing the spinal cord. The patient subsequently reported complete resolution of symptoms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-212
Author(s):  
BRUNO DA COSTA ANCHESCHI ◽  
ANIELLO SAVARESE ◽  
RAPHAEL DE REZENDE PRATALI ◽  
DANIEL AUGUSTO CARVALHO MARANHO ◽  
MARCELLO TEIXEIRA CASTILHA ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate morphometric variations of the cervical spine in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) using dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in neutral, flexion and extension positions. Methods: This is a prospective study of patients with CSM secondary to degenerative disease of the cervical spine. The morphometric parameters were evaluated using T2-weighted MRI sequences in the sagittal plane in neutral, flexion and extension position of the neck. The parameters studied were the anterior length of the spinal cord (ALSC), the posterior length of the spinal cord (PLSC), the diameter of the vertebral canal (DVC) and the diameter of the spinal cord (DSC). Results: The ALSC and PLSC were longer in flexion than in extension and neutral position, with statistically significant difference between the flexion and extension position. The DVC and the DSC were greater in flexion than in extension and neutral position, however, there was no statistically significant difference when they were compared in the neutral, flexion and extension positions. Conclusion: Dynamic MRI allows to evaluate morphometric variations in the cervical spinal canal in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 105-115
Author(s):  
I. A. Korneev ◽  
T. A. Akhadov ◽  
I. A. Mel'nikov ◽  
O. S. Iskhakov ◽  
N. A. Semenova ◽  
...  

Aim.To evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a diagnostic method in children with acute trauma of the cervical spine and spinal cord, to compare the correspondence of MRI results with neurologic symptoms in accordance with the ASIA scale.Materials and methods.156 children with acute trauma of spine and spinal cord at the age from 6 months up to 18 years were studied. MRI was performed on a Phillips Achieva 3T scanner. The standard protocol included MYUR (myelography) in coronal and sagittal projections, STIR and T2VI FS SE in sagittal projection, T2VI SE or T2 * VI FSGE (axial projection), 3D T1VI FSGE before and after contrast enhancement. Contrast substance was injected intravenously in the form of a bolus at the rate of 0.1 mmol/kg (equivalent to 0.1 ml/kg) at a rate of 3 to 4 ml.Results.The causes of cervical spine blunt trauma were: road accidents (55), catatrauma (60), “diver” trauma (21), blunt trauma (20). Intramedullary lesions of the spinal cord were detected: concussion (49), bruising / crushing (27), hematomia (34), disruption with divergence of segments (21), accompanied by edema (141); extramedullary lesions: epi- and subdural, intralesive and sub-connective and soft tissues hematomas (68), ruptures of bundles (48), fractures (108), dislocation and subluxation of the vertebrae (35), traumatic disc herniation (37), spinal cord compression and/or rootlets (63), statics violation (134), instability (156).Conclusion.MRI is the optimal method for spinal cord injury diagnostics. In the acute period of injury this technique has limited application, but it can however serve as a primary diagnostic method in these patients. MRI should be performed no later than the first 72 hours after injury. The most optimal for visualization of cervical spine trauma and spinal cord are T2VI SE and STIR in sagittal projection with suppression of signal from fat. MRI results correlate with neurologic symptoms at the time of performance according to the ASIA scale, and therefore MRI should be performed in all patients with acute cervical spine trauma, whenever possible.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. E1440-E1444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason H. Huang ◽  
Irena Tsui ◽  
Alexander R. Judkins ◽  
Erin Simon ◽  
John K. Birknes ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We report an extremely rare case of primary intramedullary germinoma in the cervical spinal cord arising in an 18-year-old man who had not undergone previous surgery or irradiation. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The patient had a 2-month history of intermittent neck pain and a 4-week history of bilateral hand paresthesias and weakness. A magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrated a heterogeneous cervical spine lesion with marked contrast enhancement extending from C3 to C6. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent a cervical laminotomy with tumor resection, and pathological examination revealed the tumor to be a germinoma. He recovered well from the surgery with minimal neurological deficits. A postoperative magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain and spinal cord did not show any other tumors. In addition, imaging studies of the mediastinum, testes, and the rest of the body also did not demonstrate any other tumors. The patient received local radiation as well as three courses of chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of an intramedullary cervical spine germinoma with confirmed tissue diagnosis. Although extremely uncommon, the possibility of germinoma should be included in the differential diagnosis for primary intramedullary spinal cord tumors.


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