The use of flexion-extension magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating signal intensity changes of the cervical spinal cord.
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.
Department of Neurosurgery, The Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Sacramento, California, USA. kern.h.guppy@kp.org
Kern H
KH
Guppy
Mark
M
Hawk
Indro
I
Chakrabarti
Amit
A
Banerjee
D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007796:Laminectomy; D017843:Ligamentum Flavum / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013123:Spinal Fusion