Widening of the spinal canal and dural ectasia in Marfan's syndrome : assessment by CT

We describe a method for diagnosing dural ectasia (DE) and spinal canal widening (SCW) using CT. We examined 23 patients with Marfan's syndrome (MFS), 17 with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and 29 normal subjects, using six axial slices at the level of the L1-S1 pedicles. Transverse diameters of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroradiology 1999-11, Vol.41 (11), p.850-854
Main Authors: VILLEIRS, G. M, VAN TONGERLOO, A. J, VERSTRAETE, K. L, KUNNEN, M. F, DE PAEPE, A. M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Chi-Square Distribution
Confidence Intervals
Dilatation, Pathologic - diagnostic imaging
Dura Mater - diagnostic imaging
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - diagnostic imaging
Female
Humans
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Lumbar Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging
Male
Marfan Syndrome - diagnostic imaging
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nervous system
Prevalence
Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry
Sacrum - diagnostic imaging
Sensitivity and Specificity
Spinal Canal - diagnostic imaging
Spinal Diseases - diagnostic imaging
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
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Summary:We describe a method for diagnosing dural ectasia (DE) and spinal canal widening (SCW) using CT. We examined 23 patients with Marfan's syndrome (MFS), 17 with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and 29 normal subjects, using six axial slices at the level of the L1-S1 pedicles. Transverse diameters of the vertebral bodies, spinal canal and dural sac were measured and indices were defined to differentiate patients with DE and SCW from normal. Statistical significance was assessed using Student's t -test, chi (2)-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. DE and SCW occurred in 69.6 % and 60.9 % of cases of MFS and in 23.5 % and 35.3 % of EDS respectively. In MFS, prevalence was significantly higher than in the control group. DE was significantly more frequent in MFS than in EDS. A strong correlation existed between DE and SCW in MFS and the control group, but not in EDS. Our system enables quantitative assessment of SCW and DE. The latter is particularly important in subjects suspected of having MFS, in whom it is a common and characteristic sign.
ISSN:0028-3940
1432-1920
DOI:10.1007/s002340050856