title: The relation between location of cervical cord compression and the location of myelomalacia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the location of the cervical cord compression and the increased signal intensity within the cervical cord on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) in patients with cervical myelopathy and myelomalacia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 1,615 MRI reports from January 2011 to May 2013 from a single institution. Of the 1,615 reports reviewed, 168 patients were diagnosed with increased signal intensity within the cervical spine on T2WI. After applying the exclusion criteria 82 patients were included in the study. The MRIs of these 82 patients were then reviewed and the location of the increased signal intensity on T2WI in relation to the location of the pressure on the spinal cord was recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In more than 50 % of the cases the lesions with increased signal intensity on T2WI either were located distal to the pressure on the spinal cord or started at the level of the pressure and extended to an area distal to the pressure. In 26 out of the 92 lesions with increased signal intensity on T2WI, the lesion started proximal to the pressure on the spinal cord and extended distal to it. In only 3 out of the 92 lesions, the lesion with increased signal intensity on T2WI was solely located proximal to the pressure on the spinal cord. In 5 other cases the lesion with increased signal intensity on T2WI started proximal to the level of pressure on the spinal cord and extended into the level of pressure on the spinal cord (p < 0.001; Table 1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cervical myelomalacia may appear proximal, distal or at the level of the compressed cord. It rarely appears solely proximal to the pressure area on the cord.
authors.affiliation: Spine Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel, Noam_yossi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Yossi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Smorgick
authors.forename: Sigal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tal
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yassin
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tamir
authors.forename: Yigal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mirovsky
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Anekstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015984:Causality; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*