C-Spine MRI results - HELP!! - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

RosesOfAphrodit · 04-18-2006, 01:47 PM

Hi, I am new to the Message Boards but I am hoping that someone can help me understand what my recent C-spine MRI is saying in layman's terms. First I must say that originally I was in a slip & fall accident 1/2002. I had a couple small herniations (central) in C4-5 and C6-7 and a broad based disc herniation extending into both neural canals with no significant ventral cord encroachment at C5-6.

On 4/12/06, just last week I was rear-ended at 20-30 mph. They did a CT scan of my neck that turned up negative for any fractures, a brain MRI that came back negative, however the c-spine MRI came back with the following:

"The heart or C5-6: A broad-based disc protrusion is identified in the right lateral recess and into the right foramen. The neuroforamen is narrowed approximately one-third of its usual diameter. The disc indents the anterior aspect of the right lateral recess. The cord does not appear displaced. there is no flattening noted."

Of course I am not a doctor and I don't know what this means, but I do know that within 5 minutes of my PCP getting the results she set me up with an emergancy consult with a local neurosurgeon for Thursday morning. I do have right arm numbness, nausea, stiffness and tingling on my right side.

As one can imagine I am going through a great deal of anxiety at this point. I was told that there really isn't a conservative method to help a broad based herniation in the neck. I am on oral steriods, lortab and valium to help with the pain.

Any suggestions as to what is going on would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

BobM · 04-18-2006, 02:04 PM

I beleive the 'neuroforamen' refers to the path the nerve branch follows from the spinal cord, out through the vertebrae on its way to your should, arm, and hand. There is a nerve branch that exits at each level of vertebra in the neck, and the experts can often tell which level is being 'pinched' by what part of the arm, hand, and fingers are numb or tingling, or painful.

The fact that it looks narrower (reduced to 1/3, or reduced by 1/3?) on the MRI may be due to an injured disc, or sometimes by bone growths (osteophytes).

There are different ways to treat this (you will hear a lot of different opinions on this board), including time, therapy, drugs (both pharmaceutical and herbal), injections, and surgery, etc.

Sounds like you may be starting a journey like many of us here are already on. There are options, the key is to learn enough to make choices about the treatment that you are comfortable with. When you talk to the surgeon you will get more out of it if you can ask questions, so try to read up on this as much as you can.

Big thing is, don't panic! Chances are you will have different treatments you can choose from, but there are things that can be done for this condition.

This board is a good place to ask questions, lots of folks here that have experience, and they're more than willing to help.
Bob

RosesOfAphrodit · 04-18-2006, 02:09 PM

Thanks Bob! I appreciate the reply and it was narrowed by a 1/3! Yeah I have been doing research unfortunately they don't give a lot of specifics on certain words used in the reports. But I continue to try. I have OCD so the better informed I am the better I feel. I'll research something to death if I have to!

Ana

BobM · 04-18-2006, 02:26 PM

Hello Ana:
If you do an interent seach on 'spine anatomy' you will see a number of sites that have lots of information. I've looked at almost all of them at one time or another, and I used those sites to look up each and every word on the MRI report that I didn't understand (that would be most of them, when this started for me). Just knowing the anatomy and what the reports mean will help you a lot, especially when you talk to people like surgeons!
Bob

RosesOfAphrodit · 04-18-2006, 02:31 PM

Thanks Bob! I appreciate it! Ana