what does my mri scan mean

[blackywilson]

I n October 2008 i was hit by a truck from behind on my bike.I was told i had Lhermitte.Tingling to my legs when tilting my head forward.i Had xrays to back up the story.
In June i went for a second mri and it showed any thing  was clear, but i still had Lhermittes.
In January 2010 .I my legs were getting weak and now i feel like im drunk when i walk.
Set out below is my new MRI .

The cerebellar tonsils ends above the foramen magnum.the signal and morphology of the cervical cord is normal.At c2/3 and c3/4 there are posterior annular tear.At c3/4 there is a shallow posterior central disc protrustion.At c5/6 the disc space is narrowed and there is posterior projuecting osteophytic ridge disc complex.This causes some encroachment on the right sided exit foramen.At c6/7 again the disc is narrowed and there is prostior projecting osteophytic ridge disc complex.Effect at this this level is greater on the right then on the left with potential effect on the right c7 nerve root sleeve.
At T1/2 THERE IS PRTERIOR ANNULAR TEAR and approximately 1.7mm of spondylolisthesis The bone marrow is normal aside from hemangioma in the vetebral body of c7.
.
What does this report mean .and why did the dely take so long to show up on the mri.Can this be dated back the to crash i had when i was on my bike.with thanks dave.

[Abhijeet Ghosh]

Dear Friend,
Many thanks for posting the question via my forum.
Well the present MRI findings doesn't really proves the etiology to the accident.
The bottom line is that there are too many levels of disc involvement in your cervical spine. With this scenario, surgery is not preferred unless there is no other option available. This was for the disc related problem.
Now there is another problem, that is about the hemangioma.
Hemangioma's are blood collections generally benign (harmless) in nature and are harmless. But if they grow in size, they can be a problem as they cause weakness of the bone as the affected region gets infiltrated by blood collection at the loss of bone marrow.
And this may require a major surgery.

Hence i have advised you for the orthopaedician's opinion.
Regards...


So please consult your treating doctor with appointment, so that a decision can be made , about the surgery.

Feel free to discuss more, in this context.
Regards

[Abhijeet Ghosh]

Dear Wilson,
In the backbone we have a spinal cord, from which a number of nerve rootlets pass. The opening via which they leave the spine is called as Exit foramina.

Due to arthritis/degeneration, changes occur in them.These changes are seen via X-Ray and MRI scan and are called as Spondylotic changes.
When the changes are severe, affecting the foramina, it's called as spondylotic narrowing.

Regards

[blackywilson]

Can some tell me what spondylotichange with some spondylotic narrowing of the exit formaminae