Prediction of the Efficacy of Surgical Intervention in Patients with Cervical Myelopathy by Using Diffusion Tensor 3T-magnetic Resonance Imaging Parameters

Overview

Journal J Craniovertebr Junction Spine

Date 2015 Aug 20

PMID 26288547

Citations 4

Authors

Hironori Arima

Shinichi Sakamoto

Kentaro Naito

Toru Yamagata

Takehiro Uda

Kenji Ohata

Toshihiro Takami

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The clinical significance of diffusion tensor (DT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters was analyzed to predict postoperative functional recovery in patients with cervical myelopathy.

Materials And Methods: Sixteen patients with cervical myelopathy caused by cervical spondylosis, disk herniation or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament who underwent surgical intervention in our institute were enrolled in this retrospective study. There were 7 men and 9 women, with a mean age of 62.8 years. Clinical assessment was done before surgery and at least 3 months after surgery. All patients underwent whole-body 3.0-Tesla MRI before surgery. DT images (DTIs) were obtained using a single-shot fast spin-echo-based sequence. Mean values of mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) at 6 disk levels of the cervical spine were measured using manual setting of regions of interest. The MD and FA values at the most compressed part were analyzed. Absolute MD and FA values at the most compressed spinal level in patients were transformed into the normalized values with a z-score analysis.

Results: MD-z may decrease with the severity of cervical myelopathy. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of MD-z and FA-z suggested that both MD-z and FA-z have clinical validity for predicting the efficacy of surgical intervention, but MD-z was considered to be the most appropriate value to predict the efficacy of surgery.

Conclusions: DTIs may be a promising modality to predict functional recovery after surgery. MD changes may reflect spinal cord condition and its reversibility.

Citing Articles

Correlation Between Pre-Operative Diffusion Tensor Imaging Indices and Post-Operative Outcome in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Mohammadi M, Roohollahi F, Mahmoudi M, Mohammadi A, Mohamadi M, Kankam S Global Spine J. 2024; 14(6):1800-1817.

PMID: 38168663 PMC: 11268306. DOI: 10.1177/21925682231225634.

Evaluating tissue injury in cervical spondylotic myelopathy with spinal cord MRI: a systematic review.

Khan A, Mohammadi E, Haynes G, Hameed S, Rohan M, Anderson D Eur Spine J. 2023; 33(1):133-154.

PMID: 37926719 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-023-07990-0.

Predictors of symptomatic myelopathy in degenerative cervical spinal cord compression.

Kadanka Jr Z, Adamova B, Kerkovsky M, Kadanka Z, Dusek L, Jurova B Brain Behav. 2017; 7(9):e00797.

PMID: 28948090 PMC: 5607559. DOI: 10.1002/brb3.797.

Diffusion tensor imaging can predict surgical outcomes of patients with cervical compression myelopathy.

Maki S, Koda M, Kitamura M, Inada T, Kamiya K, Ota M Eur Spine J. 2017; 26(9):2459-2466.

PMID: 28623403 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-017-5191-7.

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