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Help, mri results orthopedic surgeon apt
Sorry for length and somewhat incoherent post. I’m using my phone plus copying and pasting.
2020 mri FINDINGS: Mild patient motion artifact not felt to significantly compromise this exam. Vertebral body heights, alignments, and marrow signal preserved. Mild exaggeration of the normal kyphosis, upper dorsal spine. No significant spondylosis or facet arthropathy is seen. There is a tiny right paracentral disc protrusion at T8-9 which does not contact or compress the cord or cause central canal stenosis. No other disc displacement. No foraminal narrowing is seen.
Cord
caliber is normal. There is mild patient motion artifact through the cord but no confluent abnormal cord signal. No mass or enhancing abnormality. Tiny cyst included posterior hepatic dome, measuring about 4 mm. There is mild dependent
atelectasis in the included lung bases, right a little greater than left. Vertebral body heights and alignments preserved. Prior ACDF at C5-
6
with solid interbody bony fusion and appropriately positioned surgical hardware.
Mild disc space narrowing at C3-4, C4-5, and C6-7 with mild disc bulging at each
of these levels not causing cord compression or more than mild central canal stenosis. No other disc displacement. Mild facet arthropathy bilaterally at C7-T1 and on the left at C6-7 without facet joint effusion. Mild to moderate right foraminal narrowing at C3-4, mild right and moderate left foraminal narrowing at C4-5, and mild right and moderate left foraminal narrowing at C6-7 due to uncovertebral hypertrophy with other foramen appearing patent. Cord caliber and signal characteristics appear normal. Following contrast administration there is no pathologic enhancement. Oral intubation with small amount of fluid layering in the pharynx consistent with retained secretions. There is mild mucosal thickening in the ethmoid sinuses and minimal mucosal thickening in the right frontal sinus without significant paranasal sinus or mastoid pacification. An oral tube is present. There is a small amount of fluid in the nasopharynx, likely retained secretions related to intubation. There is minor spotty mucosal thickening of bilateral ethmoid air cells and right frontal ethmoid junction. A frontal sinus is hypoplastic. Minor mucosal thickening noted at its maxillary sinus bases. Left frontal and sphenoid sinuses are clear. Left sphenoid sinus is dominant.
Both infundibula are patent. One small Haller cell is present on the right.
Nasal cavity is free of masses. Lower mid bony nasal septum has subtle broad bowing towards the left with shallow bony spur. There is neither bony sinus wall hypertrophy or dehiscence. Orbital and facial soft tissues are unremarkable.
Portion of anterior inferior brain is normal. Mastoid sinuses and middle ear cavities are clear.
2026 mri: Individual Levels: Multilevel degenerative changes in the thoracic spine with relevant leveis as detailed below:
T8-T9: Disc osteophyte complex with contact and mild effacement of the thoracic cord. No high-grade spinal canal or foraminal narrowing. Individual Levels: Ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and epidural lipomatosis contributes to narrowing at multiple levels as detailed below.
• T12-L1: Circumferential disc bulge and facet arthropathy without spinal canal narrowing or foraminal narrowing.
• L1-L2: Circumferential disc bulge and facet arthropathy without spinal canal narrowing or foraminal narrowing.
• L2-L: Circumferential disc bulge and facet arthropathy without spinal canal narrowing and mild bilateral forami narrowing.
L3-L4: Circumferential disc bulge with contact of the exiting left L3 nerve root in the foraminal zone (axial T2, image 22). Facet arthropathy C2-C3: Disc osteophyte complex and facet arthropathy without spinal canal or foraminal narrowing.
• C3-C4: Disc osteophyte complex and facet arthropathy with moderate spinal canal narrowing and mild-to-moderate bilateral foraminal narrowing.
• C4-C5: Disc osteophyte complex with contact of the cervical cord and facet arthropathy with moderate-to-se spinal canal narrowing and moderate-to-severe left greater than right foraminal narrowing.
• C5-C6: Postsurgical changes as above. No high-grade spinal canal narrowing. Facet arthropathy. No high-s foraminal narrowing.
• C6-C7: Disc osteophyte complex with moderate spinal canal narrowing and moderate-to-severe bilateral foraminal narrowing.
C7-T1: Disc osteophyte complex without spinal canal or foraminal narrowing. without spinal canal narrowing and mild bilateral foraminal narrowing. L4-L5: Circumferential disc bulge and facet arthropathy without spinal canal narrowing and mild bilateral foraminal narrowing.
• L5-S1: Circumferential disc bulge without spinal canal narrowing or foraminal narrowing.
Just curious if there is anyone who can help me understand why I’m going through the same lengthy process with my spine. I originally had surgery c5/6 that took 3 years after accident. This is taking me 6 years. My previous surgeon even provided note explaining I’d need surgery again and he didn’t understand why my spine was as bad as it was because the imaging didn’t show it.
Am I crazy thinking this isn’t normal?
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I wish that these radiologists would spell out any abnormal findings in PLAIN ENGLISH! Thank you.
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2 Reactions@getmused We are fellow travelers in the journey known as modern health care, not medical professionals qualified to interpret a complex MRI report. Please discuss this with your provider, or find someone to provide a second opinion.
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3 Reactions@sueinmn thank you sue for the most warming heart felt greetings for my first post. Clearly posting my mri report in hopes to find someone else with similar issues was ridiculous.
I picked up from your post that you didn’t like Sue’s reply. I think she was being helpful in that we are all laypeople on this website. The best I could do would be to google terms from your MRI results and parrot those back to you. It really is best to get these results explained by your healthcare professional. Dr, Google (and myself) is great for a quick answer but I would never rely on either.
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4 ReactionsHi @getmused , I am struggling also. I have been on the waiting list for almost two years for neurology and surgical team. I have been told that unless i become a medical emergency I will remain on waiting lists. I am in chronic pain daily and currently off work 1.5 years. My MRI report.. At C3/C4, there is diffuse disc bulge and prominent left paracentral bulge indenting the thecal sac with mild narrowing of the left exit foramen.
At C4/C5, disc osteophyte complex indenting the spinal cord, compromising the central canal, AP diametre of the thecal sac is 8mm. There is bilateral moderate to severe narrowing of the exit foramina.
At C5/C6, there is mild loss of disc height with disc osteophyte complex indenting the thecal sac and compromising the central canal, the AP diametre of the thecal sac is 7.8 mm. There is severe narrowing of both exit foramina.
At C6/C7, disc osteophyte complex is seen indenting the thecal sac with evidence of severe narrowing of the left exit foramen and moderate in the right.
Thoracic spine:
There are multi level posterior disc bulge from T5/T6 to T7/T8 and at C6/C7 levels with no evidence of significant central canal stenosis. However, the assessment is limited due to the absence of axial images.
Lumbar spine:
At L3/L4, there is diffuse disc bulge indenting the descending L4 nerve root.
At L4/L5, there is diffuse asymmetrical disc bulge with annular fissure, indenting the descending L5 nerve roots, together with facet joint degenerative changes causing narrowing of both exit foramina and irritating the exiting L4 nerve roots.
At L5/S1, there is mild loss of height with annular fissure and broad-based posterior disc protrusion, indenting the descending S1 nerve roots.
That is two years old and things have deteriorated but not enough to be classified as emergency 😥
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1 Reaction@andrea44 Are you limited in where you can seek medical care? Are you able to go to another provider for a second opinion? There is enough on your report that should get the attention of a spine specialist. I know that sometimes, there are not enough doctors to cover the needs of everyone seeking their care. Sometimes doctors do not want your case perhaps because of other health complications or they think it may have a poor outcome and affect their statistics of success. You probably can’t change their mind if they aren’t interested. Another opinion may reveal if their “wait and see” protocol is right for you.
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1 ReactionJennifer - that was a very thoughtful and kind response to Andrea. Sometimes one isn’t told what exactly constitutes an ‘emergency’, but the fear is that by the time it gets to that point, it may already be too late to regain function in the spinal cord areas affected. That is my case, with two cervical level repairs and a 3rd one upcoming. I was told by a neurosurgeon not to fall off of a ladder or get rear-ended by a car. So far I’ve avoided those both prior to my surgery! It is important to have your surgeon clarify exactly what an emergency would be - for me, it was urinary incontinence and bowel issues. But by then, is it too late while we are waiting for appts? As a person not able to travel to larger surgical sites and limited to rather rural medical care, the prospect of seeing a good neurosurgeon in a timely fashion is also limited so there is a lot of waiting. My second successful surgery was at Mayo in 2018 but I can no longer travel there and any immediate follow-up if there is a problem is almost impossible. So I guess we all must face what we must, when and where we can. Kind and thoughtful words are so welcome especially from Mayo mentors!
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2 ReactionsYou can travel to Mayo. Find a buddy, hire a caregiver etc.
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1 Reaction@gilkesl
Not an option but thank you for suggesting resources!
@dorob Thanks for your reply and your kind words. You are correct that incontinence caused by a spine issue is an emergency that needs intervention ASAP. That is what a doctor told me who was doing an epidural injection. I don't know how far you are from Mayo, but there are Mayo trained spine surgeons practicing in other hospitals. Mayo has the Mayo Clinic Health System that are smaller hospitals in rural areas. There is also the Mayo Clinic Care Network where doctors nationwide and in other countries have access to consult with Mayo specialists in the care of their patients.
Don't give up. If you have a chance to get help, you should. Don't talk yourself into accepting something that may become a permanent condition. You need to advocate for yourself and tell doctors that you want to recover from incontinence while you have a chance. Mayo surgeons don't always require you to come back for follow up. That was the case for myself. They had me get X-rays locally and mail them in to my surgeon at Mayo.
I know waiting for appointments can be worrisome. I waited 2 years before my cervical fusion because I couldn't find a doctor to help me until I came to Mayo. My symptoms were confusing them. I was also told about being careful not to be in an accident because of risk of paralysis if another injury would occur with my already compressed spinal cord. That all turned out OK and it has been almost 10 years since my surgery.
Good luck with your upcoming procedure.
Jennifer
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