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Mohammadi M, Roohollahi F, Farahbakhsh F, Mohammadi A, Mortazavi Mamaghani E, Kankam SB, Moarrefdezfouli A, Ghamari Khameneh A, Mahmoudi MM, Baghdasaryan D, Martin AR, Harrop J, Rahimi-Movaghar V. Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Diagnosing and Evaluating Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Global Spine J 2024:21925682241263792. [PMID: 38877604 DOI: 10.1177/21925682241263792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN Systematic review. OBJECTIVE Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a common spinal cord disorder necessitating surgery. We aim to explore how effectively diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can distinguish DCM from healthy individuals and assess the relationship between DTI metrics and symptom severity. METHODS We included studies with adult DCM patients who had not undergone decompressive surgery and implemented correlation analyses between DTI parameters and severity, or compared healthy controls and DCM patients. RESULTS 57 studies were included in our meta-analysis. At the maximal compression (MC) level, fractional anisotropy (FA) exhibited lower values in DCM patients, while apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were notably higher in the DCM group. Moreover, our investigation into the diagnostic utility of DTI parameters disclosed high sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values for FA (.84, .80, .83 respectively) and ADC (.74, .84, .88 respectively). Additionally, we explored the correlation between DTI parameters and myelopathy severity, revealing a significant correlation of FA (.53, 95% CI:0.40 to .65) at MC level with JOA/mJOA scores. CONCLUSION Current guidelines for DCM suggest decompressive surgery for both mild and severe cases. However, they lack clear recommendations on which mild DCM patients might benefit from conservative treatment vs immediate surgery. ADC's role here could be pivotal, potentially differentiating between healthy individuals and DCM. While it may not correlate with symptom severity, it might predict surgical outcomes, making it a valuable imaging biomarker for clearer management decisions in mild DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Faramarz Roohollahi
- Sports Medicine Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Yas Spine Center of Excellence, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farzin Farahbakhsh
- Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aynaz Mohammadi
- School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Samuel Berchi Kankam
- Image guided Neurosurgery Lab, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Brain Trauma Lab, Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Azin Moarrefdezfouli
- Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Afshar Ghamari Khameneh
- Department of Radiology, Advanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology (ADIR) Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohamad Mahdi Mahmoudi
- Department of General Surgery, Shahid Mofateh Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Allan R Martin
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - James Harrop
- Department of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar
- Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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Stefanie M, Antonia G, Leah Shyela V, Sabine H, Peter D, Jens F, Daniel B, Christian B, Veit R, Mathias B, Jan L, Ilko L M. T1 mapping in patients with cervical spinal canal stenosis with and without decompressive surgery: A longitudinal study. J Neuroimaging 2024; 34:329-338. [PMID: 38403747 DOI: 10.1111/jon.13195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cervical spinal canal stenosis (cSCS) is a common cause of spinal impairment in the elderly. With conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suffering from various limitations, high-resolution single-shot T1 mapping has been proposed as a novel MRI technique in cSCS diagnosis. In this study, we investigated the effect of conservative and surgical treatment on spinal cord T1 relaxation times in cSCS. METHODS T1-mapping was performed in 54 patients with cSCS at 3 Tesla MRI at the maximum-, above and below the stenosis. Subsequently, intraindividual T1-differences (ΔT1) intrastenosis were calculated. Twenty-four patients received follow-up scans after 6 months. RESULTS Surgically treated patients showed higher ΔT1 at baseline (154.9 ± 81.6 vs. 95.3 ± 60.7), while absolute T1-values within the stenosis were comparable between groups (863.7 ± 89.3 milliseconds vs. 855.1 ± 62.2 milliseconds). In surgically treated patients, ΔT1 decreased inverse to stenosis severity. After 6 months, ΔT1 significantly decreased in the surgical group (154.9 ± 81.6 milliseconds to 85.7 ± 108.9 milliseconds, p = .021) and remained unchanged in conservatively treated patients. Both groups showed clinical improvement at the 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Baseline difference of T1 relaxation time (ΔT1) might serve as a supporting marker for treatment decision and change of T1 relaxation time might reflect relief of spinal cord narrowing indicating regenerative processes. Quantitative T1-mapping represents a promising additional imaging method to indicate a surgical treatment plan and to validate treatment success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meyer Stefanie
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Geiger Antonia
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Volnhals Leah Shyela
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hofer Sabine
- Biomedical NMR, Max-Planck-Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dechent Peter
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Frahm Jens
- Biomedical NMR, Max-Planck-Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Behme Daniel
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Magdeburg, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Brelie Christian
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johanniter-Clinics Bonn, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rohde Veit
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bähr Mathias
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Liman Jan
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Paracelsus Medical School, Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Maier Ilko L
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Bédard S, Bouthillier M, Cohen-Adad J. Pontomedullary junction as a reference for spinal cord cross-sectional area: validation across neck positions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13527. [PMID: 37598229 PMCID: PMC10439961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40731-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord cross-sectional area (CSA) is an important MRI biomarker to assess spinal cord atrophy in various neurodegenerative and traumatic spinal cord diseases. However, the conventional method of computing CSA based on vertebral levels is inherently flawed, as the prediction of spinal levels from vertebral levels lacks reliability, leading to considerable variability in CSA measurements. Computing CSA from an intrinsic neuroanatomical reference, the pontomedullary junction (PMJ), has been proposed in previous work to overcome limitations associated with using a vertebral reference. However, the validation of this alternative approach, along with its variability across and within participants under variable neck extensions, remains unexplored. The goal of this study was to determine if the variability of CSA across neck flexions/extensions is reduced when using the PMJ, compared to vertebral levels. Ten participants underwent a 3T MRI T2w isotropic scan at 0.6 mm3 for 3 neck positions: extension, neutral and flexion. Spinal cord segmentation, vertebral labeling, PMJ labeling, and CSA were computed automatically while spinal segments were labeled manually. Mean coefficient of variation for CSA across neck positions was 3.99 ± 2.96% for the PMJ method vs. 4.02 ± 3.01% for manual spinal segment method vs. 4.46 ± 3.10% for the disc method. These differences were not statistically significant. The PMJ method was slightly more reliable than the disc-based method to compute CSA at specific spinal segments, although the difference was not statistically significant. This suggests that the PMJ can serve as a valuable alternative and reliable method for estimating CSA when a disc-based approach is challenging or not feasible, such as in cases involving fused discs in individuals with spinal cord injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Bédard
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Maxime Bouthillier
- Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Julien Cohen-Adad
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Functional Neuroimaging Unit, CRIUGM, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Clinical application of diffusion tensor tractography to postoperative C5 palsy. Spinal Cord Ser Cases 2021; 7:83. [PMID: 34552046 DOI: 10.1038/s41394-021-00447-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN Diagnostic study. OBJECTIVE Although C5 palsy is a well-known potential complication after cervical procedure, the exact pathophysiology remains uncertain. Diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) has recently been proposed as a useful tool to examine quantitatively and non-invasively the pathology of spinal cord disorders. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical interest of DTT in patients with C5 palsy after cervical laminoplasty. SETTING Single university hospital. METHODS Five patients with C5 palsy out of 108 patients after cervical laminoplasty were subjected to DTT using a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging in our hospital between 2010 and 2012. For the tractography, two regions of interest (ROI) were placed at the C5 segmental level and the bilateral C4/5 intervertebral foramen level. RESULTS The postoperative number of tract fibers at the C5 segmental spinal cord level was significantly increased compared to the preoperative number, despite the C5 palsy. Analyses of two ROIs (at the C5 segmental level and the C4/5 intervertebral foramen level) showed that the number of tract fibers at the palsy side was significantly decreased compared to the intact side. Furthermore, in the patient who spontaneously recovered from C5 palsy within postoperative 6 months, a gradual augmentation of tract fibers was identified at the palsy side. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that DTT can document C5 palsy in detail, as the anatomical region between C5 segmental level and C4/5 intervertebral foramen level was potentially damaged in patients with C5 palsy after laminoplasty.
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Diffusion Tensor Imaging Characteristics in Hirayama Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature. World Neurosurg 2020; 140:180-187. [PMID: 32437983 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hirayama disease (HD) is a rare focal amyotrophy, commonly reported in adolescent Asian males and characterized by unilateral or asymmetric distal upper extremity weakness. This disease exhibits an indolent course of progression over the initial 3-4 years, followed by a stage of stabilization. The diagnosis is confirmed by demonstration of enhanced posterior epidural space and dynamic spinal cord compression on cervical flexion magnetic resonance imaging. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a functional imaging modality, which can potentially be utilized in the diagnosis of HD. CASE DESCRIPTION We hereby report 2 young male patients who had presented to us with bilateral asymmetric upper extremity weakness. In both patients, magnetic resonance imaging of cervical spine revealed spinal cord atrophy or myelomalacia, anterior displacement of posterior thecal sac, and T2 hyperintense posterior epidural space, all of which were more evident in flexed position. On DTI, we could observe reduced fractional anisotropy in cervical flexion, as compared with neutral. CONCLUSIONS DTI tractography and reduced fractional anisotropy in cervical flexion can serve as potential indicators for the diagnosis of HD. Large-scale studies in the future are necessary to identify the potential role of this modality in surgical decision-making and in the assessment of prognosis in patients with HD.
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Nukala M, Abraham J, Khandige G, Shetty BK, Rao APA. Efficacy of diffusion tensor imaging in identification of degenerative cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Eur J Radiol Open 2018; 6:16-23. [PMID: 30581892 PMCID: PMC6293016 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejro.2018.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim and objectives To study the diagnostic accuracy of Diffusion tensor imaging technique in detection of cervical spondylotic myelopathy changes. Material and method Study population included 50 patients with symptoms of cervical myelopathy. The patients were evaluated based on symptoms using the European myelopathy scoring system and were divided into: Grade 1, including patients with mild symptoms; Grade 2, referring to patients with moderate symptoms and Grade 3, which included patients revealing severe symptoms. All the patients were investigated with a 1.5 T MRI unit acquiring DWI and DTI sequences. FA and ADC values from each spinal segment were analyzed in terms of Frequency, Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation and Confidence Intervals. The comparison of values was done by ANOVA and post hoc analysis by bonferroni test. Comparison of accuracy of FA, ADC and T2WI in recognizing myelopathic changes was done by t-test. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed to obtain a cut off value of FA and ADC for each spinal level to identify myelopathic change in the spinal cord. Results The study revealed a significant difference in the mean FA and ADC value of stenotic and Non-stenotic segments. T2WI was highly significant (p = 0.000) in recognizing myelopathy changes in patients falling under Grade 2(moderate) and Grade 3(severe) according to European Myelopathy scoring system. Regarding patients under Grade 1 (mild) FA and ADC values showed significant difference compared to T2WI. The collective sensitivity in the identification of myelopathic changes was highest with FA (79%) as compared to ADC (71%) and T2WI (50%). ROC analysis was done to determine the cut off values of FA and ADC at each cervical spine segments. The proposed cut off, for FA and ADC at the level of C1–C2 is 0.68 and 0.92, C2–C3 is 0.65 and 1.03, C3–C4 is 0.63 and 1.01, C4–C5 0.61 and 0.98, At C5–C6 0.57 and 1.04, At C6–C7 0.56 and 0.96 respectively. Conclusion FA and ADC values enhance the efficacy and accuracy of MRI in the diagnosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Hence diffusion tensor imaging can be used as a non-invasive modality to recognize spondylotic myelopathy changes even in the early stages, which can be helpful in deciding on appropriate timing of decompression surgery before the irreversible chronic changes set in.
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Predictive value of flexion and extension diffusion tensor imaging in the early stage of cervical myelopathy. Neuroradiology 2018; 60:1181-1191. [PMID: 30232516 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-018-2097-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in flexion (F) and extension (E) may serve as a sensitive diagnostic tool in early symptoms of myelopathy. The aim of this study was to compare values of water diffusion parameters on dynamic cervical DTI in early stage of myelopathy. METHODS Study enrolled 10 patients with an early stage of cervical myelopathy, in grade I/II of Nurick classification. All subjects were scanned with flexion-extension 3T MRI. Fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), RD (radial diffusivity), AD (axial diffusivity) and TRACEW (trace diffusion) were measured at C2, compression level (CL) and C7. Parameters were compared between 3 levels and F and E positions. RESULTS Flexion DTI revealed significant difference only for TRACEW between C2 and C7 (105.8 ± 18.9 vs. 83.7 ± 14, respectively; p = 0.0029). Extension DTI showed differences for ADC between CL and C7 (1378.9 ± 381.8 vs. 1227.2 ± 269.2; p = 0.001), reduced FA from 664.6 ± 56.3 at C2 down to 553.1 ± 75.5 (p = 0.001) at CL and 584.7 ± 40.7 at C7 (p = 0.002). Differences of RD in E were significant through all levels and reached 612.9 ± 105.1, 955.3 ± 319.4 and 802.1 ± 194.1 at C2, CL and C7, respectively. TRACEW lowered from 92.3 ± 14.4 at C2 to 66.9 ± 21.1 at CL (p = 0.0001) and 64.4 ± 15.5 at C7 (p = 0.0002). Comparison of DTI between F and E showed differences for all parameters except AD. RD was significantly higher in E at CL (p = 0.003) and C7 (0.013), but TRACEW increased in F at CL by 27.4% (p = 0.001) and at C7 by 23.1% (p = 0.013). FA was reduced at CL in E (p = 0.027) and similarly ADC in F (p = 0.048). CONCLUSION Dynamic DTI of the cervical spine is feasible and can detect subtle spinal cord damage of functional relevance in cervical myelopathy. A marked increase of RD and decrease of FA and TRACEW values in extension were found to be indicative for an early structural cord injury in myelopathy.
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