Increased Flow Signal in Compressed Segments of the Spinal Cord in Patients With Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Abstract

2.

Segmental differences of cervical spinal cord motion: advancing from confounders to a diagnostic tool

“…blood pressure, heart rate) remains unknown. Previous studies report different parameters of spinal cord motions 4,6,7 and therefore are not readily comparable. Additionally, PC MRI readouts are influenced by a varying, so called “phase drift” 10 , ending in false velocity values, caused by a baseline offset error.…”

“…In addition, conventional MRI provides only static information, while PC-MRI evaluates dynamic mechanical factors which might contribute to the development of cervical myelopathy 8,9 . Interestingly, increased spinal cord motion was associated with sensory deficits 4,6 , impaired electrophysiological readouts 6 and decreased functional scores in DCM patients 7 . Thus, altered spinal cord motion might be a potential surrogate of spinal cord dysfunction.…”

“…Cardiac-gated velocity measurements can be mapped over the heart cycle resulting in a flow-profile 2,3 . In patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), several studies applying 2D PC-MRI reported increased spinal cord motion at the level of a cervical spinal stenosis 4–7 . A better insight into pathophysiological processes contributing to spinal cord dysfunction is fundamental for understanding different disease stages that may be less appreciable when only relying on static anatomic measures.…”

In cervical spondylotic myelopathy spinal cord motion is focally increased at the level of stenosis: a controlled cross-sectional study

“…In addition, two groups focusing on spinal cord dynamics have described increased spinal cord motion at level of a cervical These authors contributed equally: Katharina Wolf, Markus Hupp. spinal stenosis [3,5], related to sensory deficits in one study [3]. These studies were stimulated by the need of improving the diagnostic work-up in CSM beyond clinical and anatomical (i.e., static) MRI measures by evaluating dynamic factors contributing to the development of CSM [6].…”

Cervicothoracic syringomyelia caused by cervical spinal stenosis: Case report and literature review

“…Although there are various treatment options for cervical-thoracic syrinx due to Chiari malformations (e.g., foramen magnum decompression and syringosubarachnoid shunt), there are no established procedure for dealing with syrinxes due to cervical spondylosis with immediate regression of the intramedullary cavitation and symptoms [ Table 1 ]. [ 2 8 ]…”