This document provides information on how to read a cervical MRI. It begins with background on MRI equipment such as the magnet, gradient coil, and RF coil. It then discusses the anatomy of intervertebral disks and how degeneration appears on MRI. The remainder of the document reviews several patient case examples, noting relevant imaging findings and clinical histories. Key details like disc height, spinal cord measurements, prior surgeries, and symptoms are highlighted for each case. A brief history of MRI development is also included, mentioning early pioneers like Damadian, Lauterbur, and Mansfield.

1. How to Read a Cervical MRI
Spine Conference
Upper Chesapeake Medical Center
Friday May 1, 2015

5. Earth surface has 25-65 microtesla

8. Elemental composition

13. Equipment
Magnet Gradient Coil RF Coil
RF Coil
4T magnet
gradient coil
(inside)
B0

21. Sagittally oriented
safranin-O–stained
sections of an adult
human lumbar
intervertebral
disk (top) and a
degenerated
intervertebral disk
(bottom). Disk
matrix stains purple
and collagen
blue. In the adult
disk, the peripheral
annulus fibrosus,
containing collagen,
stains blue
(arrowhead).
The inner annulus
fibrosus and nucleus
pulposus,
containing GAGs,
stains purple. The
central portion
of the nucleus
pulposus, where
reticulin, collagen,
and elastin fibers
are located, stains
faintly blue.
The degenerated
disk has lost purple-
staining GAGs
from the nucleus
pulposus and
annulus fibrosus. It
conforms to
Pfirrmann grade IIII
degeneration.

45. c2c3

46. c2c3

47. c3c4

48. c3c4

49. c4

50. c4c5

51. c5c6

52. c5c6

53. c6c7

54. c6c7

55. c6c7

58. 77 year old woman with h/o hand weakness/numbness/ataxia
Prior acdf 14 years ago

63. Cephalomedullary angle 135-175

66. 48 year old man with right fifth finger pain and numbess

68. S/P C7T1
ACDF

69. persistent
symptoms of
ataxia, neck
pain, fine
motor hand
dysfunction

73. 47 year old woman with 6 month h/o neck stiffness and pain with
left UE paresthesias into
The elbow forearm and hand especially IF/thumb

74. Note:the black line directly posterior to the vertebral bodies and relative
Thinning of spinal cord, note normal disc height

76. C3

77. C3C4

78. C4C5

79. C4C5

80. C4C5

81. C5C6

82. C6C7

83. C7T1

84. Mid-sagittal diameter: width
1:5 ratio leads to necrosis of gray
matter
• Ogino H: Canal diameter, anteroposterior compression ratio
and spondylotic myelopathy of the cervical spine. Spine 1983;
8:1-15
• Cord compression causes ischemia and direct mechanical
trauma

88. Thanks

91. • Raymond Damadian from
Downstate NY published an
article in Science 1971 on a
technique to differentiate cancer
and nomral cells with an MRI. He
filed the first USP patent for an
MRI on 3/17/72’ he created the
first Mri machine

93. Peter Lauterbur
chemist at Universtiy of Illinois
created and published the first MRI
image of a living mouse in 1973
• Physicist Peter Mansfield
of the Universtiy of
Nottingham developed a
mathemantical technique
to refine inages
20033
Type equation here.

94. • Wilhem Rontgen 1845-1923
• 1895 xray discovery
• German physicist
• Expelled from high school for
refusing to reveal a classmate who
created a disparaging drawing of a
teacher