Hi,I am Dr. Shanthi.E (General & Family Physician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Hello i am 21 months post acdf and recent cervical mri is as follows... will i have to have surgery again?:Regarding alignment, the alignment of the cervical vertebra appears intact. Postsurgical changes of recent anterior fusion via plate and screws spanning the cervical spine from C3 to C7. Suggestion of interposition bone grafts within the C4-5 and C5-6 disc spaces. The cervical lordosis is preserved. There is no definite abnormal signal within the cervical spinal cord at any level. Regarding marrow signal, the cervical vertebral marrow signal appears normal. The findings on a level by level basis are as follows:C2-3: There is no focal abnormality.C3-4: Mild bilateral uncinate and facet hypertrophy. Borderline right neuroforamen.C4-5: Bilateral uncinate and facet hypertrophy and mild posterior osteophytic spurring resulting in moderate right and mild to moderate left neuroforamen narrowing. Borderline spinal canal..C5-6: Bilateral uncinate and facet hypertrophy result in moderate left and mild to moderate right neuroforamen narrowing. Minimal posterior osteophytic spurring. Spinal canal remains patent..C6-7: Bilateral uncinate and facet hypertrophy resulting in moderate to significant left and moderate right neuroforamen narrowing. Broad-based bulge. Mild spinal canal stenosis..C7-T1: Broad-based bulge asymmetric to the left. Left uncinate and bilateral facet hypertrophy. Left disc osteophyte complex results in a borderline left neuroforamen.No definite abnormality is noted of the visualized paraspinous tissues. Prominence of the lingual tonsils.ImpressionImpression:1. Postsurgical changes from ACDF spanning the cervical spine from C3 to C7..2. No abnormal signal within the cervical spinal cord.3. Multilevel uncinate and facet hypertrophy resulting in multilevel neuroforamen narrowing.
This shows that your spine has taken well to the fusion. However, a few areas may be of future concern at the mid-spine level because the spaces where the nerves come out are becoming narrow. The decision to have a repeat surgery specifically for these areas will depend on your symptoms. Significant pain, tingling or weakness in any of your upper limbs with failed response to physiotherapy would mean a repeat surgery is needed.
All the best.
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What Does This CT Scan Result For Spine Indicate?
Hello, This shows that your spine has taken well to the fusion. However, a few areas may be of future concern at the mid-spine level because the spaces where the nerves come out are becoming narrow. The decision to have a repeat surgery specifically for these areas will depend on your symptoms. Significant pain, tingling or weakness in any of your upper limbs with failed response to physiotherapy would mean a repeat surgery is needed. All the best.