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Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Chronic Spinal Cord Compression
Published on: May 7, 2019
Evaluation of cervical myelopathy using apparent diffusion coefficient measured by diffusion-weighted imaging.
T Sato1, T Horikoshi, A Watanabe
1Department of Neurosurgery, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan. tsato@yamanashi.ac.jp
AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology
|December 24, 2011
Summary
Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the spinal cord can predict the severity of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and outcomes after surgery. Higher ADC values correlate with worse clinical recovery in CSM patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Spinal Cord Imaging
Background:
- Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) diagnosis often relies on T2-weighted imaging, which shows high signal intensity but lacks correlation with disease severity or prognosis.
- A quantitative measure for assessing CSM severity and predicting surgical outcomes is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the relationship between apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and the clinical and radiologic severity of CSM.
- To evaluate the potential of ADC values in predicting clinical recovery after decompression surgery for CSM.
Main Methods:
- ADC values were measured in the spinal cord across 322 intervertebral levels in 66 patients with CSM.
- Statistical analysis was performed to correlate ADC values with clinical factors and surgical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Spinal cord ADC values significantly increased with the degree of spinal cord compression.
- ADC values decreased over time following decompression surgery.
- Higher preoperative ADC values were associated with lower Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores and a tendency towards poorer clinical recovery.
Conclusions:
- ADC values serve as an indicator of spinal cord compression severity in CSM.
- ADC values can predict clinical recovery following decompression surgery.
- Preoperative ADC values may aid in predicting the prognosis of spondylotic myelopathy.
