J Korean Radiol Soc.  1995 Oct;33(4):527-536.

IVIRI of Acute Cervical Injury: Correlation with Neurologic Deficit

• Kim SJ
• Yoon HK
• Suh DC
• Shin MJ
• Hah BK
• Park MS
• Hyun CD
• Kwon ST
• Lim SC

Abstract

PURPOSE
To evaluate MRI findings of spinal cord according to mechanism in acute cervical spinal injury.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
25 patients under went MRI within 1 month after acute cervical trauma. Axial T1WI (TR/TE :500/20), gradient-echo (TR/TE :300/14), sagittal T1WI (TR/TE:500/20), proton (TR/TE :2000. 20 msec), T2WI (TR/TE :2000/80) were performed. In 11 pateints, post-enhancement T1WI was done. Change of spinal cord signal intensity on MRI in addition to the presence of abnormal changes of vertebral body, intervertebral disc and paraspinal soft tissue were evaluated.
RESULTS
15 patients had flexion injury, seven had extension injury and three had injury of unknon mechanism. Twelve patients showed /so-signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI. Three patients showed low signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI. Spinal cord hemorrhage occured in 10 patients. We found cord swelling in nine patients and cord compression in 12 patients. In nine patients with cord swelling, extent of cord injury was more than one segment of vertebral body. Ligamentous injury, disc injury, soft tissue injury occurred in 16(64%), 17(68%), 15(60%) patients respectively. Vertebral body fracture was found in 17 patients (68%). The levels of fracture were C6(eight patients) and C5(five patients).
CONCLUSION
MRI is valuable in exaluetion of the spinal cord, intervertebral disc, and soft tissue lesions in acute cervical spinal injury. Prognosis is worse in flexion injury than in extension injury, and is well correlated with cord hemorrhage and lesion extent.

MeSH Terms

Hemorrhage
Humans
Intervertebral Disc
Ligaments
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neurologic Manifestations*
Prognosis
Protons
Soft Tissue Injuries
Spinal Cord
Spinal Injuries
Protons