DOES INCREASED SIGNAL INTENSITY OF THE SPINAL-CORD ON MR-IMAGES DUE TO CERVICAL MYELOPATHY PREDICT PROGNOSIS

We examined whether or not high signal intensity change on magnetic re sonance imaging of the spinal cord of patients with cervical myelopath y is related to the clinical symptoms and prognosis. Twenty-five patie nts with cervical myelopathy were treated by decompressive surgery whi ch involved laminoplasty or decompressive anterior interbody fusion. T he pathological conditions were cervical disc herniation (n = 8), ossi fication of the posterior longitudinal ligament in the cervical spine (n = 7), and cervical spondylotic myelopathy (n = 10). The spinal cord compression and the intramedullary signal intensity at the site of ma ximum compression were evaluated pre- and postoperatively using T1- an d T2-weighted images. There was no significant relationship between sp inal cord compressive change and clinical symptoms. Patients in whom t he high signal change of the spinal cord on T2-weighted sequence recov ered after decompressive surgery had better recovery from clinical sym ptoms, but a statistical significance was not found. We suggest that s ignal changes on T2-weighted images may reflect pathological changes b ut cannot be used to predict prognosis at present.