72-year-old female with lower extremity weakness. Evaluate for cord compression. History of lung malignancy. The vertebral bodies are appropriate in the overall alignment and height. There are patchy areas of marrow replacement particularly focally involving the C4 and T7 vertebral bodies which are not entirely evaluated and could be benign. However given the history of lung malignancy, the possibility of metastatic disease should be considered. The spinal cord has normal signal characteristics and overall morphology. There is no definite spinal cord compression. There are multiple small disc osteophyte complexes involving the lower cervical spine as well as mild disc bulges involving the lower lumbar spine. The most prominent disease level is in the lower lumbar spine at the L2-3 level where there is disc height loss and degenerative endplate bone marrow changes. The disc bulge here causes at least a mild central canal stenosis and some degree of neural foraminal narrowing. Incidentally noted is a cavitary process in the right lung apex which is better described on a prior chest CT from 11/11/2015. There is also a large left-sided pleural effusion that has developed in the interim.
1.This is a limited exam specific for the exclusion of cord compression only and does not exclude more subtle lesions such as intrinsic cord abnormalities. No cord compression is identified. 2.Degenerative changes and mild multilevel disc disease in the cervical and lumbar spine are as described above which causes at most mild central spinal canal stenosis at the L2-3 level.3.A right apical lung cavitary process is partially visualized and better characterized on the recent previous chest CT. Interval development of a right-sided pleural effusion.