Paleopathological Features of the Cervical Spine in the Early Middle Ages: Natural History of Degenerative Diseases

Neurosurgery ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1418-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Weber ◽  
Alfred Czarnetzki ◽  
Axel Spring
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Spinal Canal ◽  
Spinal Canal Stenosis ◽  
Degenerative Disease ◽  
Degenerative Changes ◽  
Facet Joints ◽  
Early Middle Ages ◽  
Canal Stenosis ◽  
Cervical Spinal Canal

Abstract OBJECTIVE Trauma and degenerative joint disease are the most common pathological conditions observed in archaeological skeletal remains. We describe the prevalence of different types of cervical bone diseases observed in the early Middle Ages (6th to 8th centuries AD). METHODS Human skeletons were excavated from Germanic row graves in southwestern Germany. One hundred ninety-six cervical spines thus obtained were examined for bone disease. The degenerative changes were classified into Grades 1 (marginal osteophytes), 2 (uneven joint surfaces), and 3 (osseous ankylosis). Cervical spinal canal stenosis was defined as anteroposterior diameters of <11 mm and intervertebral foraminal stenosis as <3.0 mm in the smallest diameter. RESULTS Of the skeletons, 27.5% demonstrated degenerative changes of the cervical spine. The mean age of the skeletons at the time of death was 33.4 years, compared with 43.7 years for those with degenerative disease. Degenerative changes of the vertebral bodies (usually Grades 1 and 2) were most common in the C5–C6 (12.4%, P < 0.05) and C6–C7 (15.3%, P < 0.05) segments. The medial (6.1%) and lateral (0.6%) atlantoaxial joints were rarely involved in degenerative disease. The facet joints from C3–C4 to C6–C7 demonstrated degenerative changes (usually Grades 1 and 2) in 8.0 to 11.8% of cases. The C2–C3 facet joints were significantly involved in degenerative disease in 19.7% of cases (P < 0.05), one-fourth of which demonstrated osseous ankylosis. We observed cervical spinal canal stenosis in 5 skeletons (2.6%) and osseous intervertebral foraminal stenoses in 12 (6.1%). Isolated cases of other pathological processes, i.e., spondylitis ankylopoietica, occipitalization of the atlas and axis, and an odontoid fracture with pseudoarthrosis, were also recorded. CONCLUSION In the early Middle Ages, the prevalence of degenerative cervical spine disease was the same as that observed today. The C2–C3 facet joints demonstrated high rates of degenerative disease.

scholarly journals Stenosis of cervical spinal canal due to ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament

1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-15
Author(s):  
A. I. Protsenko ◽  
V. K. Nikuradze ◽  
M. A. Klyuchnikov ◽  
K. T. Hudoiberdiev
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Spinal Canal ◽  
Posterior Longitudinal Ligament ◽  
Spinal Canal Stenosis ◽  
Complete Elimination ◽  
Canal Stenosis ◽  
Cervical Spinal Canal ◽  
Partial Elimination ◽  
Positive Results

Authors present their experience with 36 cases of spinal canal stenosis due to ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament in cervical spine. Ligament ossification extent was found to be local (1 segment) or segmental (2-3 segments). Clinical examination showed cervical myelopathy of various severity. Diagnosis of cervical spinal canal stenosis was determined mainly by CT and MRT. All patients underwent surgical treatment - anterior transcorporal decompression of spinal cord. Positive results were achieved in 34 patients including 22 patients with complete elimination of myelopathy, 9 patients with partial elimination and 3 patients with stopping of the process progression. In 2 patients, surgical procedure was inefficient.

scholarly journals Detection of Degenerative Changes on MR Images of the Lumbar Spine with a Convolutional Neural Network: A Feasibility Study

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 902
Author(s):  
Nils Christian Lehnen ◽  
Robert Haase ◽  
Jennifer Faber ◽  
Theodor Rüber ◽  
Hartmut Vatter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Lumbar Spine ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Nerve Root ◽  
Spinal Canal ◽  
Spinal Canal Stenosis ◽  
Degenerative Changes ◽  
High Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Canal Stenosis ◽  
Disc Herniations

Our objective was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on multiple MR imaging features of the lumbar spine, to detect a variety of different degenerative changes of the lumbar spine. One hundred and forty-six consecutive patients underwent routine clinical MRI of the lumbar spine including T2-weighted imaging and were retrospectively analyzed using a CNN for detection and labeling of vertebrae, disc segments, as well as presence of disc herniation, disc bulging, spinal canal stenosis, nerve root compression, and spondylolisthesis. The assessment of a radiologist served as the diagnostic reference standard. We assessed the CNN’s diagnostic accuracy and consistency using confusion matrices and McNemar’s test. In our data, 77 disc herniations (thereof 46 further classified as extrusions), 133 disc bulgings, 35 spinal canal stenoses, 59 nerve root compressions, and 20 segments with spondylolisthesis were present in a total of 888 lumbar spine segments. The CNN yielded a perfect accuracy score for intervertebral disc detection and labeling (100%), and moderate to high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of disc herniations (87%; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.89), extrusions (86%; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.89), bulgings (76%; 95% CI: 0.73, 0.78), spinal canal stenoses (98%; 95% CI: 0.97, 0.99), nerve root compressions (91%; 95% CI: 0.89, 0.92), and spondylolisthesis (87.61%; 95% CI: 85.26, 89.21), respectively. Our data suggest that automatic diagnosis of multiple different degenerative changes of the lumbar spine is feasible using a single comprehensive CNN. The CNN provides high diagnostic accuracy for intervertebral disc labeling and detection of clinically relevant degenerative changes such as spinal canal stenosis and disc extrusion of the lumbar spine.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Posterior Cervical Laminectomy and Decompression plus Lateral Mass Screw-Rod Internal Fixation in the Treatment of Multisegment Cervical Spinal Canal Stenosis and Effects on Cervical Curvature and Range of Motion Parameters

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Bo Liu ◽  
Yufei Wang ◽  
Yaning Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Internal Fixation ◽  
Range Of Motion ◽  
Spinal Canal ◽  
Spinal Canal Stenosis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Observation Group ◽  
Lateral Mass ◽  
Lateral Mass Screw ◽  
Canal Stenosis ◽  
Cervical Spinal Canal

Objective. To investigate the clinical effects of posterior laminectomy and decompression plus lateral mass screw-rod internal fixation for the treatment of multisegment cervical spinal canal stenosis and the improvement of cervical curvature and range of motion in patients. Methods. A total of 68 patients with multisegment cervical spinal stenosis who were treated in our hospital from January 2019 to June 2020 were selected and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group according to the random number table, with 34 patients in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with traditional posterior cervical open-door laminoplasty with silk suture fixation, while those in the observation group were treated with posterior cervical laminectomy and decompression plus lateral mass screw-rod internal fixation. The perioperative index of patients in the two groups was recorded, and the clinical efficacy of patients was evaluated. The patient’s JOA score, cervical physiological curvature, and cervical range of motion were evaluated. The occurrence of complications was recorded during follow-up. Results. The amount of intraoperative bleeding and postoperative rehabilitation training time in the observation group was less than that in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). There was no significant difference in operation time between the two groups ( P > 0.05 ). The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The JOA scores at 1 week, 6 months, and 12 months after operation in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The physiological curvature of cervical spine in the observation group at 1 week, 6 months, and 12 months after operation was higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The cervical range of motion at 12 months after operation in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The incidence of postoperative complications in patients of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Posterior laminectomy and decompression plus lateral mass screw-rod internal fixation can help patients to improve various clinical symptoms caused by nerve compression and obtain better improvement of cervical curvature and range of motion. It is an ideal surgical method for the treatment of multisegment cervical spinal canal stenosis, and it is conducive to improving the clinical efficacy of patients.

scholarly journals T1 Mapping Quantifies Spinal Cord Compression in Patients With Various Degrees of Cervical Spinal Canal Stenosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilko L. Maier ◽  
Sabine Hofer ◽  
Eva Eggert ◽  
Katharina Schregel ◽  
Marios-Nikos Psychogios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Compression ◽  
Spinal Canal ◽  
T1 Mapping ◽  
Cord Compression ◽  
Spinal Canal Stenosis ◽  
Canal Stenosis ◽  
Cervical Spinal Canal
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