title: MRI findings of DREZ-otomy lesions.
abstract: Pre- and postoperative MR findings in the spinal cord of 4 patients who underwent lesioning of the cervical dorsal root entry zone (DREZ-otomy) are reported. In 3 patients with root avulsion, MR images revealed spinal cord atrophy preoperatively and, after DREZ-otomy, long-lasting spinal cord enlargement and extensive intramedullary changes. In a case without root avulsion, the preoperative MR study showed no apparent abnormality and the only postoperative MR change was a discrete lesion well confined to the dorsal horn. The findings suggested basically different post-operative pathology among patients with root avulsion and those without. MRI can be a useful supplement to autopsy study in defining postoperative spinal cord changes after DREZ-otomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muteki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akeda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuramoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm; D001284:Atrophy; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000601:surgery*