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Diffusion tensor imaging and fibre tracking in cervical spondylotic myelopathy

  • Musculoskeletal
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Abstract

Objectives

To (1) obtain microstructural parameters (Fractional Anisotropy: FA, Mean Diffusivity: MD) of the cervical spinal cord in patients suffering from cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) using tractography, (2) to compare DTI parameters with the clinical assessment of these patients (3) and with information issued from conventional sequences.

Methods

DTI was performed on 20 symptomatic patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, matched with 15 volunteers. FA and MD were calculated from tractography images at the C2-C3 level and compressed level in patients and at the C2-C3 and C4-C7 in controls. Patients were clinically evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire.

Results

The FA values of patients were significantly lower at the compressed level than the FA of volunteers at the C4-C7 level. A significant positive correlation between FA at the compressed level and clinical assessment was demonstrated. Increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images did not correlate either with FA or MD values, or with any of the clinical scores.

Conclusion

FA values were significantly correlated with some of the patients’ clinical scores. High signal intensity of the spinal cord on T2 was not correlated either with the DTI parameters or with the clinical assessment, suggesting that FA is more sensitive than T2 imaging.

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Abbreviations

DTI:

Diffusion Tensor Imaging

DT:

Diffusion Tensor

CSM:

Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

MR:

Magnetic Resonance

FA:

Fractional Anisotropy

MD:

Mean Diffusivity

ADC:

Apparent Diffusion Coefficient

JOACMEQ:

Japanese Orthopaedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire

ROI:

Region of Interest

DTI-FT:

Fibre Tracking (with Diffusion Tensor Imaging)

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Acknowledgements

We thank Hélène Tostain for English manuscript corrections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Radiologie et d’Imagerie Musculosquelettique, Hôpital Roger Salengro, 59037, Lille, France

    Jean-François Budzik, Vincent Balbi, Vianney Le Thuc & Anne Cotten

  2. Université de Lille, UDSL, EA2694, 59037, Lille, France

    Alain Duhamel

  3. Département de Neurochirurgie, Hôpital Roger Salengro, 59037, Lille Cedex, France

    Richard Assaker

Authors
  1. Jean-François Budzik
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  2. Vincent Balbi
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  3. Vianney Le Thuc
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  4. Alain Duhamel
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  6. Anne Cotten
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Correspondence to Anne Cotten.

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Budzik, JF., Balbi, V., Le Thuc, V. et al. Diffusion tensor imaging and fibre tracking in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Eur Radiol 21, 426–433 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1927-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1927-z

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