الفهرس 
Normal Anatomy of the SpineOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Background: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is the most common cause of spinal dysfunction in adults. Recent studies have shown a potential role for diffusion tensor imaging as a novel method for early detection of cervical cord myelopathy as compared with conventional MR sequences.
Aim of the Work: To evaluate the role of MR diffusion tensor imaging in the early detection of cervical spondylotic myelopathic changes in comparison to conventional MRI sequences to determine best clinical management and outcome for the patients.
Patients and Methods: Our study is a prospective study that included patients from August 2021 to December 2021. The study included 20 patients with clinical symptoms of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, referred to the Radiology department, Ain Shams University Hospitals for MRI cervical study.
Results: Our results showed a highly significant reduction of FA values and highly significant increase of ADC values of the cord opposite to the level of the most affected disc (P value <0.001 and 0.002 respectively). We also found that the magnitude of FA reduction and ADC increase correlated positively with the severity of disc affection, with the highest DROP in FA values and increase in ADC values found to be in patients with established spinal cord hyperintensity on T2WI.
Conclusion: Diffusion tensor imaging could be used in early detection of cervical cord myelopathy before the appearance of altered cord intensity on conventional MRI sequences and in assessment of its severity.