Article
Diagnostic yield of cervical spine MRI scans – an insight into the incidence of degenerative cervical myelopathy
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Published: | June 9, 2017 |
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Objective: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is spinal cord compression due to degenerative changes in the surrounding spine. The epidemiology of DCM is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to estimate its incidence by considering 3 months of MRI scans at a tertiary neurosciences centre.
Methods: A retrospective cohort of 281 patients receiving a cervical spine MRI scan in a 3 month period at a tertiary neurosciences centre. All cervical spine MRI scans were examined for the clinical indication for the scan and the pathology reported.
Results: Neural compression (39%) and trauma (27%) were the predominant indication for cervical MRI imaging. Other indications included: treatment planning (11%), inflammation (10%), malignancy (6%), other (7%). Number of scans triggered by symptom: upper limb paraesthesia/weakness (25%), neck pain (21%), numb hands (7%), lower limb paraesthesia/weakness (7%). DCM and inflammatory disease triggered 23 and 19 MRI scans respectively. New DCM findings were 2.6 times more common than new onset inflammatory lesions.
Conclusion: Suspected neural compression was the largest cause for cervical MRI investigation. New onset DCM was more common than new onset inflammatory lesions.