Advanced

AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Flanders, A. Articles by Herbison, G.

American Journal of Neuroradiology 20:926-934 (5 1999)
© 1999 American Society of Neuroradiology

ARTICLE

The Relationship between the Functional Abilities of Patients with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury and the Severity of Damage Revealed by MR Imaging

Adam E. Flanders^,a, Claire M. Spettell^a, David P. Friedman^a, Ralph J. Marino^a and Gerald J. Herbison^a

^a From the Departments of Radiology (A.E.F., C.M.S., D.P.F.) and Rehabilitation Medicine (R.J.M., G.J.H.), Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The appearance of the damaged spinal cord after injury correlates with initial neurologic deficit, as determined by the American Spinal Injury Association grade and manual muscle test score, as well as with recovery, as assessed by manual muscle test scores. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence of spinal cord hemorrhage and the size and location of spinal cord edema on MR images is predictive of functional recovery in survivors of cervical spinal cord injury (SCI).

METHODS: The degree of damage to the cervical spinal cord was measured on the MR images of 49 patients who underwent imaging within 72 hours of sustaining SCI. The effects of hemorrhage and length/location of edema on changes in the value of the motor scale of the functional independence measure (FIM) were assessed on admission to and discharge from rehabilitation.

RESULTS: Patients without spinal cord hemorrhage had significant improvement in self-care and mobility scores compared with patients with hemorrhage. There was no significant effect of spinal cord hemorrhage on changes in locomotion and sphincter control scores. The rostral limit of edema positively correlated with admission and discharge self-care scores and with admission mobility and locomotion scores. Edema length had a negative correlation with all FIM scales at admission and discharge.

CONCLUSION: The imaging characteristics of cervical SCI (hemorrhage and edema) are related to levels of physical recovery as determined by the FIM scale. Imaging factors that correlate with poor functional recovery are hemorrhage, long segments of edema, and high cervical locations.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D.J. Seidenwurm and for the Expert Panel on Neurologic Imaging Myelopathy AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., May 1, 2008; 29(5): 1032 - 1034. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B.G. Leypold, A.E. Flanders, and A.S. Burns The Early Evolution of Spinal Cord Lesions on MR Imaging following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., May 1, 2008; 29(5): 1012 - 1016. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Saadoun, B. A. Bell, A. S. Verkman, and M. C. Papadopoulos Greatly improved neurological outcome after spinal cord compression injury in AQP4-deficient mice Brain, April 1, 2008; 131(4): 1087 - 1098. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. Berens, D. C. Colvin, C.-G. Yu, R. P. Yezierski, and T. H. Mareci Evaluation of the Pathologic Characteristics of Excitotoxic Spinal Cord Injury with MR Imaging AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., August 1, 2005; 26(7): 1612 - 1622. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. D. Schwartz, C.-L. Chin, J. S. Shumsky, A. F. Jawad, B. K. Brown, S. Wehrli, A. Tessler, M. Murray, and D. B. Hackney Apparent Diffusion Coefficients in Spinal Cord Transplants and Surrounding White Matter Correlate with Degree of Axonal Dieback After Injury in Rats AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., January 1, 2005; 26(1): 7 - 18. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]