The Value of DTI Parameters in Predicting Postoperative Spinal Cord Function Fluctuations in Patients with High Cervical Disc Tumors

Abstract

Objective. To explore the characteristics of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in patients with high cervical spinal myeloma and the evaluation of postoperative spinal cord function. Methods. In recent years, 42 patients with high cervical spine myeloma were selected as the observation group, and 42 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group during the same period. The apparent dispersion coefficient (ADC), the fractional anisotropy (FA), the number of fiber bundles (FT), and the fiber bundle ratio (FTR) were compared between the two groups. The correlation between the ADC, FA, FT, FTR, and the International Standard for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) score in the observation group were analyzed. Spinal cord function was evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score (JOA). Logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the recovery of spinal cord function after surgery. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the value of ADC, FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 in predicting the recovery of spinal cord function. Results. The ADCs of the lesion layer and lower layer of the observation group were higher than the middle and lower layers of the control group, the FA and FT were lower than the middle and lower layers of the control group, and FTR1 and FTR2 were lower than those of the control group ( $P<0.05$ ). The ADC of the lesion layer in the observation group was negatively correlated with ISNCSCI score, and the FA, FT, FTR1, FTR2, and ISNCSCI scores were positively correlated ( $P<0.05$ ). Three months after the operation, JOA was used to evaluate the spinal cord function, which was excellent in 23 cases and poor in 19 cases. Logistic regression model analysis showed that after the ISNCSCI score was controlled, the increase in ADC and the decrease in FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 of the lesion layer were independent risk factors for poor postoperative body function recovery ( $P<0.05$ ). ROC analysis showed that the combination of ADC, FA, FT, FTR1, and FTR2 of the lesion layer predicted the AUC of spinal cord functional recovery was 0.941, which was better than the single prediction ( $P<0.05$ ). Conclusion. The abnormal DTI parameter values of patients with high cervical spinal myeloma can better reflect the lack of spinal cord function, and they can effectively predict the recovery of the patient’s body function after surgery, providing a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.