RESUMEN
Objective To observe the relationship between spinal cord cystic degeneration, spinal cord movement improvement and ap-parent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values after early cervical spinal cord injury. Methods 18 patients with early cervical spinal cord injury were examined with MRI T1WI, T2WI and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). Then ADC values and ADC maps were obtained. Their ASIA motor scores were also recorded. The relationship between spinal cord cystic degeneration and spinal cord movement improvement and ADC values was analyzed. Results ADC values were lower in those with cystic degeneration than without cystic degeneration in early cervi-cal spinal cord injury, and the cut-off point was 700×10-6 mm2/s. ADC values were positively correlated with age. The movement improve-ment did not obviously correlate with ADC values. Conclusion ADC values of early cervical spinal cord injury are less than 700×10-6 mm2/s when cystic degeneration happened. Motor function recovery of patients with early cervical spinal cord injury cannot be estimated by mea-suring ADC values.
RESUMEN
Objective To compare MRI wi th CT discography (CTD) for diagnostic assessment of lumbar disc disruption. Methods Paired comparative examination in 16 patients with ch ronic lower back pain without radicular pain and no disc herniation was conducte d using CT or MRI. The standard of CTD classification and positive disc was for mulated and the correlation between the induced lower back pain and dosage used in CTD was observed. Results For a total of 21 discs in the 16 patients, CTD showed the disc as type 2 in 12 discs and type 5 in 1 disc with 13 positive discs, while MRI only showed the high-intensity zone of poster ior annulus in 6 discs as the indirect sign of disc disruption and disc degenera tion in 7 discs. Conclusion CTD was the only method for showing the direct sign of disc disruption. The induced lower back pain was rel ated with the type of disc disruption. MRI can show some of the indirect signs of disc disruption and CTD can show the direct sign of disc disruption.