[High resolution MR neurography in patients with cervical radiculopathy].

Purpose: To image the cervical spinal nerves directly in patients with clinical and radiographic evidence of cervical radiculopathy via high resolution MR neurography by means of a qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Materials And Methods: Twenty symptomatic patients with cervical radiculopathy and five asymptomatic volunteers were examined. A phased-array coil system was used to obtain high-resolution coronal T1-weighted spin echo and coronal/axial short tau inversion recovery (STIR) images of the cervical spine and spinal nerves. On the axial STIR images, nerve/muscle signal intensity ratio of the cervical spinal nerves were measured on both sides and compared with paired samples t test. P values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant (p<0.05).

Results: A markedly increased signal in the distal portion of the affected spinal nerves was found. Nerve/muscle signal intensity ratio measurements of the affected spinal nerves showed a significantly increased intensity compared with the noninvolved spinal nerves (p<0.05). In controls, nerve/muscle signal intensity rate was nearly identical on both sides (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Magnetic resonance neurography performed with phased-array coils can detect signal abnormalities within compressed cervical spinal nerves in patients with corresponding radicular symptoms and findings. This technique may be helpful especially in evaluating patients with multi-level disc disease of the cervical spine.