Female, 60 years old, with paresthesias and muscle wasting in the hands, history of spinal stenosis, assess for degree of stenosis. A reversal of the normal cervical lordosis is evident. In addition, the C4 and C5 vertebral bodies are at least partially fused.Marrow signal characteristics are mildly heterogeneous, but there are no worrisome areas of marrow replacement or marrow edema.Within the limitations of a motion degraded examination, the spinal cord as visualized is free of pathologic signal abnormality. Cord morphology will be discussed by level as follows.C2-3: No spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal narrowing. C3-4: Facet hypertrophy and ligamentum flavum thickening. Posterior disc-osteophyte complex formation. Moderate generalized spinal canal stenosis with some deformation of cord morphology. Moderate left and mild right foraminal narrowing. C4-5: Facet hypertrophy. Posterior disc-osteophyte complex formation with a focal component in the right paracentral zone. No significant generalized spinal canal stenosis, though the focal disc osteophyte may cause some slight impingement of the right ventral cord. Mild left foraminal narrowing. C5-6: Facet hypertrophy. Posterior disc-osteophyte complex formation. Moderate generalized spinal canal stenosis with questionable slight deformation of cord morphology. Moderate bilateral foraminal narrowing. C6-7: Facet hypertrophy. Minimal posterior disc-osteophyte complex formation. No significant generalized spinal canal stenosis. Mild left foraminal narrowing. C7-T1: No spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal narrowing. T1-2: As visualized on sagittal images only, a central disc protrusion is evident without significant spinal canal stenosis or cord impingement.
1.Fusion of the C4 and C5 vertebral bodies may be congenital, degenerative or postoperative in nature.2.Mild to moderate degenerative findings are seen resulting in a moderate spinal canal stenosis with cord impingement at C3-4, and a moderate spinal canal stenosis at C5-6 with questionable slight cord impingement.