Cervical spondylosis: MRI findings and relative factors

Abstract

Background: This study was to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of cervical spondylosis, to evaluate the relation between MRI images and other factors. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with convenience sampling and was carried out at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital between June 2019 and November 2022. We recruited 184 patients who were diagnosed with cervical spondylosis by clinical symptoms, X ray and MRI images. Results: MRI images of cervical spondylosis were seen most frequently at C4, C5, C6. Approximately 84% of patients had spinal cord stenosis, the ones who had compression images accounted for 50.7%. Cervical neural foraminal stenosis (CNFS) with compression (48.4%) and herniated disc (75%) were found most common at C5-C6 level. There were statistically-significant relations between cervical radiculopathy syndrome and the root compression images on MRI, between cervical myelopathy syndrome and spinal cord signal changes on MRI. Conclusion: Patients with cervical spondylosis symptoms should undergo X-ray and MRI of the cervical spine to get a comprehensive morphological assessment of lesions. Key words: Cervical spondylosis, Magnetic resonance imaging