Cervical spondylosis: Contrast-enhanced magnetization transfer prepulsed 3D turbo field echo MR imaging

Abstract

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the cervical spine with axial, low flip angle three‐dimensional (3D) gradient‐echo sequences is limited by long acquisition times and also by increased sensitivity to extrinsic and intrinsic magnetic field inhomogeneity, magnetic susceptibility differences, chemical shifts, and cerebrospinal fluid pulsatility. We attempted to assess the performance of gadolinium‐enhanced, magnetization transfer (MT) prepulsed 3D fast gradient‐echo sequences in demonstrating spondylotic changes of the cervical spine. Twenty patients with known cervical spine spondylosis were prospectively imaged in the axial plane using two gradient‐echo‐based MR techniques: 3D fast field echo (FFE) and gadolinium‐enhanced, MT prepulsed, segmented turbo field echo (TFE). An average of 58 neural foramina on the 3D FFE images and 47 neural foramina on the contrast‐enhanced TFE images were judged to be narrowed. The degree of neural foraminal narrowing was significantly less on the contrast‐enhanced TFE images compared with the FFE images (P <0.001). Contrast‐enhanced, MT prepulsed, segmented 3D TFE MR imaging has potential for ameliorating some of the limitations encountered in the more widely used gradient‐echo techniques. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2000;11:294–298. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Morphologic and morphometric magnetic resonance imaging features of Doberman Pinschers with and without clinical signs of cervical spondylomyelopathy

“…The gradient echo image sequence with magnetization transfer has been proposed as the best method for assessment of the intervertebral foramina. [53][54][55] A direct correlation between narrowing of disk space and a decrease in foraminal height has been determined in humans 52 ; the height of the foramen is less important than its width because the width was consistently smaller in patients with clinical signs versus those without clinical signs. 56 In the present investigation, we measured and classified the foraminal stenosis on the basis of the middle foraminal height, which is equivalent to foraminal width in humans.…”