Clinical question: Cervical spine degenerative disease? Signs and symptoms: 55-year-old male with left-sided numbness and tingling of left arm and leg, unresponsive to medication. Nonenhanced cervical spine MRI:There is normal anatomical alignment of the cervical and upper most visualized thoracic spine.The signal intensity which column is unremarkable.There is normal signal intensity and caliber of the cervical and upper most visualized thoracic cord.There is no evidence of spinal canal compromise or stenosis at any level.There is mild degenerative changes of cervical spine.Foramen magnum is unremarkable.C2 -- C3 is unremarkable.C3 -- C4 demonstrate a shallow central disk protrusion (axial T2 series 701 image 22). Findings results in partial effacement of ventral subarachnoid space and very subtle flattening deformity of the cord without spinal stenosis or neural foraminal compromise.C4 -- C5 demonstrate mild degenerative changes with resultant mild left neural foraminal compromise.C5 -- C6 demonstrate minimal degenerative changes with questionable mild right neural foraminal compromise.C6 -- C7 demonstrate mild degenerative changes and unremarkable otherwise.C7-T1 through T4 -- T5 is unremarkable.
1.Shallow central disk protrusion at C3 -- C4 without spinal stenosis or neural foraminal compromise. 2.Mild degenerative changes of cervical spine with resultant mild left neural foraminal compromise at C4 -- C5, questionable mild right neural foraminal compromise at C5 -- C6 as detailed.3.Unremarkable exam otherwise.