Female, 74 years old, with generalized abdominal pain, sharp severe shooting pain along the left and right flank and abdomen, other abdominal and cardiac etiologies has been ruled out assess for spinal cord compression or foraminal stenosis/nerve impingement. Cervical:Alignment is anatomic. Vertebral body morphology is normal. No concerning marrow replacement or marrow edema is detected. The visualized spinal cord demonstrates normal signal intensity and morphology except as discussed below. Postcontrast images are degraded by motion artifact, but within this limitation, no significant pathologic enhancement is suspected.C2-3: No spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal narrowing. C3-4: Mild posterior disc-osteophyte complex formation. No significant spinal canal or foraminal stenosis. C4-5: Mild posterior disc-osteophyte complex formation asymmetric to the right foraminal zone. Mild effacement of the ventral thecal sac. Moderate to severe foraminal narrowing on the right. C5-6: Posterior disc-osteophyte complex formation and right uncovertebral hypertrophy particularly affecting the right foraminal zone. Mild generalized spinal canal narrowing. Severe right foraminal narrowing with possible nerve root impingement.C6-7: No spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal narrowing. C7-T1: No spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal narrowing. Thoracic:Compression deformities of the T7 and T8 vertebral bodies are seen with approximately 50% loss of the original vertebral body height. The marrow space is edematous compatible with a relatively acute time course. The T6 vertebral body is also compressed to approximately 50% its original height, but there is no associated edema within the marrow and therefore this compression is probably chronic.There is no significant retropulsion of the compressed vertebral body material. The thecal sac is generally narrowed through this region but this narrowing is due largely to prominence of the dorsal epidural fat. No cord compression or cord impingement is seen. The spinal cord maintains normal signal characteristics throughout this region.There is a slight focal kyphosis of the thoracic spine centered at the compressed vertebrae. Elsewhere spinal alignment is unremarkable. The remaining vertebral bodies demonstrate normal morphology and signal characteristics. No evidence of significant degenerative disc disease, spinal canal or neuroforaminal narrowing is seen.Lumbar:Alignment is anatomic. Vertebral body marrow characteristics are within normal limits. No pathologic spinal enhancement is suspected. The conus and cauda equina show normal morphology and signal characteristics.The L1-2 through L4-5 discs show loss of T2 signal. Additional level specific findings are as follows:L1-2: Small right paracentral disc protrusion. No significant spinal canal or foraminal stenosis. L2-3: Mild facet hypertrophy and ligamentum flavum thickening. Mild bulging disc with a right foraminal protrusion. No significant generalized spinal canal stenosis. Mild right foraminal narrowing. L3-4: Mild to moderate facet hypertrophy and ligamentum flavum thickening. Mild bulging disc. Mild generalized narrowing of the spinal canal. Mild left foraminal narrowing. L4-5: Mild to moderate facet hypertrophy and ligamentum flavum thickening. Mild bulging disc asymmetric to the right foraminal zone. No significant generalized spinal canal stenosis. Moderate to severe right foraminal narrowing. L5-S1: Moderate facet hypertrophy and ligamentum flavum thickening. No significant spinal canal stenosis. Mild bilateral foraminal narrowing.
1.Compression deformities of the T7 and T8 vertebral bodies, both showing approximately 50% loss of original height. The presence of marrow edema would suggest a relatively acute time course.2.Compression deformity of the T6 vertebral body with approximately 50% loss of vertebral height. No associated marrow edema is seen which would suggest that this compression is more chronic.3.Degenerative findings in the cervical and lumbar spine with areas of canal stenosis and foraminal narrowing as detailed above.