title: Usefulness of diffusion tensor MR imaging in the assessment of intramedullary changes of the cervical spinal cord in different stages of degenerative spine disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in the detection of cervical spinal cord integrity alterations in different stages of degenerative spine disease, as well as to compare DTI parameters with selected cervical spinal stenosis measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and thirty-two symptomatic patients (mean age 53.58 years) with different stages of cervical spondylosis and twenty-five control subjects (mean age 45.78 years) were enrolled in the study. DTI was performed with a 1.5 T MR scanner. Three hundred and forty-nine spine segments from C2/C3 to C5/C6 were evaluated and divided into five groups according to the degree of spinal cord compression. The values of fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient at each level were calculated and their correlations with the degree of stenosis were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FA values differed significantly (p < 0.0001) at all levels between the control group and patients with cervical degenerative disease, including subjects without spinal cord compression visible on plain MR images. A significant (p < 0.01) positive correlation between the mean FA values and anteroposterior diameter of the spinal canal as well as space available for the spinal cord index was demonstrated at all investigated levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DTI is capable of revealing impairment of the cervical spinal cord microstructure at the very early stage of degenerative spine disease, even prior to spinal cord compression visible on plain MR. Anteroposterior spinal canal diameter as well as space available for the cord index is well related to spinal cord tissue integrity defined by DTI.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Radiology, Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Wrocław Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556, Wrocław, Poland, abanaszek86@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Banaszek
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bladowska
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Szewczyk
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Podgórski
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sąsiadek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000473:pathology; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000473:pathology; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult