Help Understanding MRI of Spine

[madisonshye]

Got my results back from MRI and having trouble understanding what exactly this means, how serious, and treatment options available for this...Could someone please help me out?

1.  Disc desiccation changes at L3-L-4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 level as well as decrease in disc space height at L4-5 level.
2.  L5-S1 there is circumferential disc bulge with superimposed left paracentral disc protrusion causing left lateral recess narrowing.  Correlate clinically for left S1 radiculopathy.  Mild bilateral neuroforminal narrowing at this level.
3.  At L3-L4 level, there is circumferential disc bulge with superimposed right paracentral disc protrusion along with facet degenerative changes and ligamentum flavum thickening causing mild deformity of anterior aspect of thecal sac.
4.  Facet degenerative changes and ligamentum flavum thickening at L1-L2 and L2-L3 levels.
5.  At T11-T12 and T12-L1, there are broad based disc osteophyte complexes causing deformity of thecal sac at these levels.

My follow up is in one month and I really want to understand this now.

Any help, advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.


  

[ViolaBow]

PS L levels are lumbar spine, T levels are thoracic spine and C levels (not mentioned here) is the neck. S is the sacrum.

[ViolaBow]

Do you have pain up and down your left leg? That is the radiculopathy they are referring to...see if symptoms correlate and if they do, the disc protrusion is what is causing it. If you look up osteophytes that should give u an idea what the disc protrusions are. The rest refers to degenerative (age-related) wear and tear. Basically u have some bony growths on some levels of your vertebrae which they might choose to fix in any number of ways from cortisone injections to surgery.

HTH.