Advanced MRI metrics improve the prediction of baseline disease severity for individuals with degenerative cervical myelopathy

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is the most common form of atraumatic spinal cord injury globally. Degeneration of spinal discs, bony osteophyte growth and ligament pathology results in physical compression of the spinal cord contributing to damage of white matter tracts and grey matter cellular populations. This results in an insidious neurological and functional decline in patients which can lead to paralysis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirms the diagnosis of DCM and is a prerequisite to surgical intervention, the only known treatment for this disorder.

Source: The Spine Journal - April 26, 2024 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Abdul Al-Shawwa, Kalum Ost, David Anderson, Newton Cho, Nathan Evaniew, W. Bradley Jacobs, Allan R. Martin, Ranjeet Gaekwad, Saswati Tripathy, Jacques Bouchard, Steven Casha, Roger Cho, Stephen duPlessis, Peter Lewkonia, Fred Nicholls, Paul T. Salo, Alex Tags: Clinical Study Source Type: research