Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Cervical Spine: Frequency of Abnormal Findings with Relation to Age

Abstract

Background: Patients with neck pain are frequently encountered in cervical spine (C-spine) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) practice. However, the exact distribution and prevalence of cervical abnormalities are not known. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between age, gender, and prevalence of abnormal cervical MRI findings. Methods: Records of 111 cervical MRIs were collected in 12 months from January to December 2019 from adults aged 20–89 years who were referred from neurosurgery, neurology, and orthopedic clinics. Findings were classified and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), version 24.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). The chi-square test was used to determine the association between demographics and abnormalities using a significance of p = 0.05. Results: The majority of patients were female (72.1%). The number of abnormal incidences increased with age until it reached a peak at ages 50–59. Spondylodegenerative changes were the most frequent finding, which was present in 52.2% of the total sample, and was followed by disc bulge (25.2%). Incidences increased in lower discs, with C5–C6 being the most frequent in 65% of the total sample. Younger males in their 20s had more injuries than females of the same age. However, this rate was reversed in patients over 40, as women were the dominant gender among patients in their 40s with cervical injuries, with a rate of 81.5%. Conclusion: In our study, we found that older patients developed more C-spine injuries. Gender may play a role in the rate of incidents. However, we did not find any significant differences between men and women or between different types of abnormalities.

The Efficacy of Cervical Lordosis Rehabilitation for Nerve Root Function and Pain in Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy: A Randomized Trial with 2-Year Follow-Up

“…The conflicting, transient, and limited effect of conservative therapies for CSR management reported in some trials is likely multi-factorial and may be attributed to the unique variables of the individual patient. For example, sustained postural imbalance, represented by cervical hypolordosis or kyphosis, causes increased and altered mechanical loading [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Once abnormal sagittal cervical alignment becomes established and maintained beyond a critical threshold, the result will be an increase in the probability of pathologies in both the soft and hard tissues of the spine [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

“…For example, sustained postural imbalance, represented by cervical hypolordosis or kyphosis, causes increased and altered mechanical loading [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Once abnormal sagittal cervical alignment becomes established and maintained beyond a critical threshold, the result will be an increase in the probability of pathologies in both the soft and hard tissues of the spine [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. To this point, in both our study and control groups, we identified a statistically significant negative correlation between cervical lordosis and neck pain for the pre-treatment data (r = −0.49).…”

“…It has been documented that the incidence of cervical degenerative abnormalities increases with age having the greatest frequency in the fifth to sixth decade of life [ 3 ]. Spondylotic degenerative findings appear to be the most common followed by disc damage and these are most common in the lower cervical spine discs (C5–C6) [ 3 , 4 ]. The degenerative state of the intervertebral disc, vertebral body and adjacent structures, occurs as a result of several factors including segmental injury/trauma and alterations in the sagittal alignment of the cervical spine; including reductions in the segmental and total angle of cervical curvature [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…Regarding the development of signs and symptoms of CSR, the patho-anatomy of the vertebra and disc is not the only cause of a given patient’s pain; it is likely that the patho-anatomy, inflammatory mediators, functional disturbances, and altered spine alignment all interact to produce clinical symptoms [ 15 ]. In this regard, various studies point to the fact that biomechanical dysfunction of the spinal column, as seen with altered cervical sagittal plane alignment, results in degenerative changes in the muscles, ligaments, and bony structures [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]; altered spine alignment coupled with degenerative spine changes will increase the stress and strain on the neural elements potentially leading to and increasing the magnitude of neurologic dysfunctions in CSR [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Clinically, the goals of CSR patient care include sagittal plane alignment improvement in surgical [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ] and conservative [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ] settings.…”

Association between trigeminal neuralgia and degenerative cervical myelopathy: A cross‐sectional study using US data

“…12,26 T2 weighted MRI of a normal cervical spine adapted by Robert Trager to include the trigeminal tract, dotted line, and labels, from Alghamdi et al27 CC-BY-4.0 License. contribute…”