scholarly journals Do the cervical spinal canal dimensions predict pre-myelopathic changes of cervical spinal cord? - a magnetic resonance image study

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
SmithaS Nair ◽  
AS Lakshmi ◽  
KB Ushadevi ◽  
AK Gupta

2015 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 139-144
Author(s):  
Smitha S Nair ◽  
A S Lakshmi ◽  
Ushadevi K B. ◽  
A K Gupta

Abstract Background and aims: The cervical region is the most mobile portion of the spinal column and it is here that the earliest disc degenerations are encountered. Hence it is of great interest to neurologists and neurosurgeons. Degenerative arthritic changes in the cervical spine secondary to ageing may result in bony and soft tissue overgrowth causing encroachment on the cervical spinal canal resulting in cervical canal stenosis. This may predispose to compressive myelopathy. The study aims to determine the predictability of myelopathy based on the dimensions of spinal canal at the cervical region. Materials and methods: The study included 600 patients who underwent MRI scan of cervical spine in the Department of Imaging Sciences and Interventional Radiology, Sree Chithra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It included patients of different age groups of both sexes who were classified into six groups. T1 weighted axial images were obtained using spin echo sequence. The axial slices were made at the mid vertebral levels from C2-C7 vertebrae. The anteroposterior diameters of spinal canal in axial images at mid cervical vertebral levels from C2-C7 were measured. Analysis of data was done by mean, standard deviation, independent sample t test, ANOVA and Chi­ square test. Results: The mean anteroposterior diameter of the canal at different cervical vertebral levels decreases as age advances. Tbe premyelopathic changes were more in males which may be attributed to change in canal shape. Conclusion: Cervical spinal canal dimensions are useful to predict premyelopathic changes of cervical spinal cord.



1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 466-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Macdonald ◽  
J. Max Findlay ◽  
Charles H. Tator

✓ Two cases of progressive myelopathy occurring years after incomplete cervical spinal cord injury are presented. In both patients, the clinical features, as well as the “bull's-eye” appearance of the delayed computerized tomography (CT) myelography study and the circumscribed low density of the magnetic resonance image, were consistent with posttraumatic syringomyelia, but surgical exploration including intraoperative spinal sonography failed to reveal a syrinx. Although arachnoiditis was present in both patients, the striking abnormality found at surgery was the softened appearance and the microcystic degeneration of the cord. The microcystic spinal cord degeneration found in these cases represents a previously undescribed cause of late deterioration after spinal cord injury that may mimic the clinical, CT-myelographic, and magnetic resonance features of posttraumatic syringomyelia.



Spinal Cord ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Ishikawa ◽  
M Matsumoto ◽  
Y Fujimura ◽  
K Chiba ◽  
Y Toyama


2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 2228-2231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsuneaki Takao ◽  
Yuichiro Morishita ◽  
Seiji Okada ◽  
Takeshi Maeda ◽  
Fumihiko Katoh ◽  
...  


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-9
Author(s):  
Badri Rijal ◽  
R K Pokharel ◽  
S Paudel ◽  
L L Shah

Introduction: Acute cervical trauma occasionally leads to cervical canal stenosis in some individuals in spite of minor trauma. The spinal canal-to-vertebral body ratio (Torg-Pavlov ratio) has been proposed for assessing developmental spinal canal stenosis. It is not affected by magnification, and is measured on lateral plain films of cervical vertebrae. The result of this study may help in better understanding of the Torg’s ratio, which is more reliable than direct measuring of the mid-sagittal diameter of the cervical spinal canal in the diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis or predicting the prognosis of cervical spinal cord injury. If Torg’s ratio is below normal there is risk of cervical cord injury whereas relatively safe in large Torg’s ratio. Torg’s ratio can be accessed even in rural areas where x-rays are easily available and more economical than MRI and CT scan. It can assess the risk of cord injury during sports and outdoor activities and help individuals’ choose safe carrier in sports or others activities.Methods: In order to ascertain the normal values of the Torg’s ratio in adults Nepalese, hundred sets of cervical vertebral columns of hundred adult Nepalese population of age group 20-40 years were examined. Consecutive patients presenting with history of neck pain with normal x-ray findings or history of trauma without cervical spine injury from Orthopaedic OPD (out patients department) and emergency department of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu from March 2011 to August 2012 were included in the study.Results: There were 48 males and 52 females with age ranging from 20 yrs to 40 yrs with the mean of 30.34±5.36 years. The normal average canal/body ratio of the cervical spine is 0.99 +/- 0.09 in male and 1.01 +/- 0.07 in female. It was observed that the ratio of the antero-posterior diameters of cervical spinal canal and vertebral bodies showed sexual dimorphism.Conclusion: The Torg’s ratio is the same irrespective of gender and height. The result of this study will help in better understanding of the Torg’s ratio, which is more reliable than direct measuring of the mid-sagittal diameter of the cervical spinal canal in the diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis or predicting the prognosis of cervical spinal cord injury.JSSN 2015; 18 (1), Page: 5-9





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