ABSTRACT
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 87 patients with suspected cervical posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) rupture,who underwent cervical spine surgery in Luoyang Orthopedic Hospital from January 2015 to September 2017,were analyzed retrospectively.The criteria of MRI diagnosis for PLL rupture were the low signal image of the PLL on the posterior margin of the vertebral body,the discontinuity or continuous interruption,or the local highlighting signal on the T2 weighted image.According to intraoperative findings,the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for PLL rupture was examined.Among 87 patients,31 cases were diganosed as PLL rupture by preoperative MRI;and 38 cases were confirmed by intraoperative exploration,of whom 30 were diagnosed with MRI,and 8 were missed by MRI.The accuracy,sensitivity and specificity of MRI in the diagnosis of ruptured PLL were 0.90,0.79 and 0.98 respectively.MRI has a good diagnostic efficiency in PLL rupture,which can be used for preoperative investigation.