Masaaki Hori MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Shigeki Aoki, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Atsushi Nakanishi MD, PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Keigo Shimoji MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Issei Fukunaga, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Yuriko Suzuki BS, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Koji Kamagata, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Kouichi Asahi MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Nozomi Hamasaki, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Ryohei Kuwatsuru MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Yoshitaka Masutani PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Prospective investigation of the findings in the spinal cord in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy in an early clinical stage by using q-space diffusion analysis.

Forty-seven patients with clinical symptoms of cervical myelopathy underwent MRI at a 3.0T MR system. Our implementation of q-space diffusion imaging acquired data with six b values (form 0 to 2500 sec/mm2 by 500 sec/mm2) and used diffusion encoding in six directions for every b value. Diffusional metric maps of fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), full width at half maximum (FWHM) and mean diffusional kurtosis (MDK) were calculated by using the free software dTV II FZR (Image Computing and Analysis Laboratory, Department of Radiology, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Japan). The regions of interest (ROIs) were placed on the compressed and uncompressed spinal cords and compared.

In 14 patients, diffusion images were not successfully obtained, due to susceptibility and motion artifacts. Uncompressed spinal cords were measured on 27 ROIs in 15 patients, values for FA, ADC (10–3 mm2/sec), FWHM (μm) and MDK were 0.655±0.041, 0.940±0.034, 19.495±0.226 and 0.907±0.094, respectively (mean±SD). Compressed spinal cords were measured on 20 ROIs in 18 patients. Because Anderson–Darling test revealed the data are not normally distributed, Mann-Whitney U tests with the Bonferroni correction was performed for statistical analysis. Compared to the uncompressed area, FA (0.606±0.075) and MDK (0.802±0.095) decreased and FWHM (19.872±0.633) increased significantly (P < 0.05) on compressed spinal cord. Increased ADC (0.977±0.134) was also observed but statically analysis revealed no significant change.

These values may show promise as biomarkers of early microstructural changes in the compressed spinal cord. MDK and FWHM measurements are also sensitive method for evaluating spinal cord pathology in an early clinical stage cervical spondylosis and may provide additional information in vivo.

In addition to conventional diffusion metrics, q-space diffusion analysis shows promising method for evaluating spinal cord pathology in patients with cervical spondylosis in an early clinical stage.

Hori, M, Aoki, S, Nakanishi, A, Shimoji, K, Fukunaga, I, Suzuki, Y, Kamagata, K, Asahi, K, Hamasaki, N, Kuwatsuru, R, Masutani, Y, Q-Space Diffusion Analysis of the Spinal Cord in Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy in an Early Clinical Stage.  Radiological Society of North America 2011 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 26 - December 2, 2011 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2011/11005934.html