Türk Nöroşirürji Dergisi 2000 , Vol 10 , Num 2
RELIABILITY OF MRI FOR PLANNING THE EXTENT OF SURGERY IN CERVICAL SPINAL COMPRESSIONS
Serhat ERBAYRAKTAR1, Bülent TEKİNSOY2, Can USAL2, Burak SADE1, Ahmet Nur TURAL1, E. Metin GÜNER1, Ümit D.ACAR1
1Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Nöroşirürji Anabilim Dalı, İzmir
2Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Radyoloji Anabilim Dalı, İzmir
A retrospective review of 50 patients in whom prominent osseous compressions were observed intraoperatively during an anterior approach, was performed and the reliability of magnetic resonance imaging for planning of surgery in those patients with osseous compression was investigated. The preoperative clinical and radiologic diagnosis was cervical disc herniation in 30 and cervical spinal stenosis in 20 patients. Nineteen cases with cervical disc herniation and 6 cases with cervical spinal stenosis were operated according to magnetic resonance imaging findings and among them, 4 and 1 cases had persistence of their symptoms, respectively. After repeat computerized tomographic scans disclosed the incomplete decompressions, three cases with cervical disc herniation were reoperated and a procedure consisting of a subtotal corpectomy and fusion was performed. The fact that possible osseous compressions were often expected and computerized tomography was frequently preferred in cases with myelopathy, no reoperation was performed. On the other hand, because the reoperation rate was found as 15.7 % in patients who were admitted with signs of radiculopathy and underwent a limited surgery according to the diagnosis of cervical disc herniation on magnetic resonance imaging, the diagnostic reliability and mistakes of magnetic resonance imaging in such cases were investigated. Anahtar Kelimeler : Computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, myelopathy, radiculopathy