Important Morphometric Values and Anatomical Ratios Obtained from Cervical Magnetic Resonance Imaging Images and their Differences from the Literature in Terms of Evaluation of Myelopathy

Abstract

Objective: A Torg ratio of 0.80 or less is considered positive support for the diagnosis of cervical spinal canal stenosis. In our study, it was aimed to determine the morphometric values of the spinal cord, spinal canal, and vertebral body, to calculate the subarachnoid distance, and to examine the differences in Torg ratio according to cervical vertebra levels and between genders in young adult individuals belonging to our community. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images (28–35 years, 50 men and 50 women, retrospectively). Results: The Torg ratio was found to be <0.80 in 194 of 350 measurements made at 7 levels (55.4%) in men and in 83 of 350 measurements in women (23.7%). The Torg ratio value was found to be higher in women than men at C3–T1 levels (P < 0.01). There is a positive and highly significant relationship between the Torg ratio and “canal-cord distance” (P < 0.01). Spinal canal diameter was found to be <14 mm in 235 vertebrae (67.1%) in men and 282 vertebrae (80.6%) in women. In addition, it was found below 12 mm in 12.6% of men and 16% of women. Conclusion: In our study, the Torg ratio was found below 0.80 in a significant part of our cases. Therefore, it would be appropriate to revise the Torg ratio separately for different populations in MRI measurements. It is clear that there is a need for planning epidemiological studies consisting of control–patient groups in the future, especially for many societies.