Central spinal cord lesions in stenosis of the cervical canal.
34 patients suffering from cervical spondylotic myelopathy confirmed by myelography were examined by delayed CT 6-10 h after myelography. Twelve patients showed bilateral intramedullary collections of contrast medium, predominantly cranial to the stenosis. In these patients males predominated, the duration of clinical symptoms lasted longer although their age was lower. There was no correlation to the degree and the extension of the narrowing of the cervical spinal canal. Half of 20 patients undergoing consecutive decompressive surgery showed intramedullary contrast enhancement, and this was shown again by postoperative MRI in eight. The postoperative clinical and neurophysiological results revealed no change in the majority of patients, but three patients showing intramedullary contrast medium deteriorated in neurophysiological outcome, while only one of the patients in whom intramedullary contrast medium was not noticed got worse.
Department of Neuroradiology, University of Tübingen, FRG.
J H
JH
Faiss
G
G
Schroth
W
W
Grodd
E
E
Koenig
B
B
Will
A
A
Thron
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009192:Myelography; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009482:Neurophysiology; D011379:Prognosis; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D003287:Contrast Media