Korean J Spine.  2017 Jun;14(2):41-43. 10.14245/kjs.2017.14.2.41.

Effect of Modic Changes in Cervical Degenerative Disease

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea. md6576@naver.com

Abstract


OBJECTIVE
Modic changes are signal intensity changes in adjacent vertebral bone marrow on magnetic resonance imaging. Few studies have investigated these changes with regard to the cervical spine. In this study, we investigated the associations between cervical degenerative disease and Modic changes.
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective collection of radiological data in patients with neck pain at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital from January 2010 to December 2014. A total of 169 patients were included in this study. Disc herniation grade, disc space height and global cervical lordosis (C2-C7 Cobb angle) were measured and analyzed. If Modic changes were present, we recorded the Modic change type based on the literature, vertebral level, age, sex, and surgical requirement.
RESULTS
Sixty-six patients exhibited Modic changes in the cervical spine. Out of these 66 patients, Modic change type II (56 patients, 84.8%) and C5-6 vertebral level (23 patients, 34.8%) were the most predominant categories. Patients with Modic change showed worse outcomes in regard to disc herniation grade, disc space height and global cervical lordosis than patients without (p<0.01). Among 169 patients, 18 patients had undergone anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF). Patients with Modic changes (10 of 66 patients, 15.1%) had a greater probability of undergoing ACDF than those without (8 of 103 patients, 7.8%; p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
Modic changes refer cervical degenerative changes, and incidence of ACDF is higher when the Modic changes are occurred.

Keyword

Cervical vertebrae; Intervertebral disc degeneration; Magnetic resonance imaging

MeSH Terms

Animals
Bone Marrow
Busan
Cervical Vertebrae
Diskectomy
Female
Gyeongsangnam-do
Humans
Incidence
Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Lordosis
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neck Pain
Retrospective Studies
Spine
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