Pathophysiology and Grading of the Ventral Displacement of Dorsal Spinal Cord Spectrum

Abstract

<sec><title>Study Design</title><p>A retrospective study of the ventral displacement of dorsal spinal cord (VDDSC) spectrum pathophysiology and grading.</p></sec><sec><title>Purpose</title><p>This study aimed at examining the pathophysiology of VDDSC between D3 and D7, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlation and severity grading.</p></sec><sec><title>Overview of Literature</title><p>The pathologies that lead to VDDSC were previously discussed in various articles. We attempted to group these pathological conditions under a single spectrum, and grade them according to their severity.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We reviewed the MRI images of the dorsal spines of 1,350 patients over a period of 4 years (February 2013–February 2017); all MRI images were analyzed by two experienced radiologists.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Of the 1,350 patients, 28 exhibited VDDSC between D3 and D7. Additional findings included ventral transdural herniation of the spinal cord (n=10), anterior spinal cord adhesion (n=7), arachnoid web (n=6), and arachnoid cyst (n=5).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>We grouped the pathologies that lead to VDDSC at the thoracic level into a single spectrum of varying severity and graded VDDSC, from mild to severe.</p></sec>