Independent spinal cord atrophy measures correlate to motor and sensory deficits in individuals with spinal cord injury

• Published in: Spinal cord 2011-01, Vol.49 (1), p.70-75
• Main Authors: Lundell, H, Barthelemy, D, Skimminge, A, Dyrby, T B, Biering-Sørensen, F, Nielsen, J B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/378/1687/1825; 692/699/375/1824; 692/700/1421/1628; Adult; Anatomy; Atrophy; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Female; Human Physiology; Humans; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neural Pathways - pathology; Neurochemistry; Neurology; Neuropsychology; Neurosciences; original-article; Paralysis - diagnosis; Paralysis - etiology; Paralysis - pathology; Sensation Disorders - diagnosis; Sensation Disorders - etiology; Sensation Disorders - pathology; Spinal Cord - pathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - diagnosis; Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/sc.2010.87

Study design: Cross-sectional descriptive analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical outcome. Objectives: The aim of this study was to present anatomically consistent and independent spinal cord atrophy measures based on standard MRI material and analyze their specific relations to sensory and motor outcome in individuals with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Danish study on human SCI. Methods: We included 19 individuals with chronic incomplete SCI and 16 healthy controls. Participants underwent MRI and a neurological examination including sensory testing for light touch and pinprick, and muscle strength. Antero–posterior width (APW), left–right width (LRW) and cross-sectional spinal cord area (SCA) were extracted from MRI at the spinal level of C2. The angular variation of the spinal cord radius over the full circle was also extracted and compared with the clinical scores. Results: The motor score was correlated to LRW and the sensory scores were correlated to APW. The scores correlated also well with decreases in spinal cord radius in oblique angles in coherent and non-overlapping sectors for the sensory and motor qualities respectively. Conclusion: APW and LRW can be used to assess sensory and motor function independently. The finding is corresponding well with the respective locations of the main sensory and motor pathways.