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Cervical spine disk herniation: comparison of CT and 3DFT gradient echo MR scans
D M Yousem1, S W Atlas, D B Hackney
1Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography
|May 1, 1992
Summary
This study found that Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) is a reliable method for detecting cervical disk herniations, showing comparable accuracy to CT myelography (CTM). MRI offers a dependable screening option for cervical spine degenerative disk disease.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Neurology
Background:
- Cervical disk herniations are a common cause of neck pain and neurological deficits.
- Accurate detection is crucial for effective treatment planning.
- Computed Tomography myelography (CTM) has been a standard diagnostic tool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the diagnostic accuracy of CT myelography (CTM) and Magnetic Resonance imaging (MR) for detecting cervical disk herniations.
- To evaluate the reliability of a specific thin-section 3D Fourier Transform (3DFT) gradient echo MR technique with high-intensity cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) signal.
Main Methods:
- Nineteen patients with suspected cervical degenerative disk disease underwent both CTM and 3DFT gradient echo MR.
- Three neuroradiologists performed blinded readings of MR images for disk herniation.
- CTM was used as the reference standard for comparison.
Main Results:
- The intraobserver agreement between CT and MR ranged from 84% to 89%.
- MR demonstrated a sensitivity of 79-91% and specificity of 82-88% for disk herniation detection when compared to CTM.
- Mean MR-CT concordance (86%) was comparable to CT-CT intraobserver concordance (88%).
Conclusions:
- Thin-section 3DFT gradient echo MR with high-intensity CSF is a reliable method for screening cervical degenerative disk disease.
- The agreement between MR and CTM is comparable to the intraobserver agreement of CTM, suggesting MR as a viable alternative.