Cervical Foraminal Changes in Patients with Intermittent Arm Radiculopathy Studied with a New MRI-Compatible Compression Device

Diagnosing cervical foraminal stenosis with intermittent arm radiculopathy is challenging due to discrepancies between MRI findings and symptoms. This can be attributed to the fact that MRI images are often obtained in a relaxed supine position. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of the Dyn...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical medicine 2023-10, Vol.12 (20), p.6493
Main Authors: Hutchins, John, Hebelka, Hanna, Svensson, Pär-Arne, Myklebust, Tor Åge, Lagerstrand, Kerstin, Brisby, Helena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cervical spine
Clinical Medicine
Degenerative disc disease
Diagnosis
dynamic MRI
Evaluation
foraminal stenosis
General & Internal Medicine
Hydraulics
kinetic MRI
Klinisk medicin
lumbar spine
Magnetic resonance imaging
Neck
Pain
Patients
Radiculopathy
Software
Spinal canal
spurling
spurling test
Stenosis
test
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Diagnosing cervical foraminal stenosis with intermittent arm radiculopathy is challenging due to discrepancies between MRI findings and symptoms. This can be attributed to the fact that MRI images are often obtained in a relaxed supine position. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of the Dynamic MRI Compression System (DMRICS) and to assess possible changes in cervical foramina, with both quantitative measurements and qualitative grading systems, with MRI during a simulated Spurling test. Ten patients (five women and five men, ages 29–45) with previously confirmed cervical foraminal stenosis underwent MRI scans using DMRICS. MRI images were acquired in both relaxed and provoked states. A radiologist assessed 30 foramina (C4–C7) on the symptomatic side in both patient positions. Quantitative and qualitative measures were performed, including the numeric rating scale (NRS) and the Park and Kim grading systems. The provoked state induced concordant neck and arm pain in 9 of 10 patients. Significant shifts in Park and Kim foraminal gradings were noted: 13 of 27 Park gradings and 9 of 27 Kim gradings escalated post provocation. No quantitative changes were observed. This pilot study indicates that the DMRICS device has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy for cervical radiculopathy, demonstrating induced cervical foraminal changes during a simulated Spurling test while performing MRI.
ISSN:2077-0383
2077-0383
DOI:10.3390/jcm12206493