I've had this MRI done below and my doc won' t let me get an epidural until I see a neurosurgeon. I have to wait 2 months. Meanwhile have had this pain for 2 1/2 months and can do activities for about an hour or two a day but then flat on my back the rest of the day with pain. Have had PT and acupuncture for several weeks now with no help.
Does this MRI look as bad as I feel and anyone have a clue what you think the neurosurgeon will say? I would appreciate any help!
CLINICAL HISTORY: 54-YEAR-OLD FEMALE WITH SEVERE RIGHT-SIDED
RADICULAR PAIN.
COMPARISON STUDY: NONE.
TECHNIQUE: Using a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner, multiple imaging planes
and sequences are obtained.
FINDINGS: There is 2 mm of anterior spondylolisthesis of C7 on
T1. The remaining cervical alignment is normal. There is loss
of normal cervical lordosis. There is no evidence of an acute
fracture. There are endplate degenerative changes at the C5-6,
C6-7 and T2-T3 levels. The posterior fossa and craniocervical
junction are unremarkable. The prevertebral soft tissues are
unremarkable. The cervical spinal cord is normal in size, shape
and signal intensity.
C2-3: There is no disc bulge or protrusion. There is no spinal
canal or neuroforaminal narrowing.
C3-4: There is no disc bulge or protrusion. There is no spinal
canal narrowing. There is mild right facet and uncovertebral
hypertrophy with mild right neuroforaminal narrowing.
C4-5: There is no disc bulge or protrusion. There is no spinal
canal or neuroforaminal narrowing.
C5-6: There is disc degeneration with loss of disc height,
endplate degenerative changes and marginal spurs. There is a
small posterior disc osteophyte complex. There is mild
ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. There is moderate spinal canal
stenosis measuring 7 mm in AP diameter with near complete
effacement of the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the cord
without cord compression or edema. There is bilateral facet
hypertrophy. There is a 5 mm perineural cyst in the right
neuroforamen. There is moderate left neuroforaminal narrowing.
There is mild right neuroforaminal narrowing.
C6-7: There is disc degeneration with endplate degenerative
changes and small marginal spurs. There is a small posterior
disc osteophyte complex and bilateral facet hypertrophy. There
is mild spinal canal narrowing measuring 9 mm in AP diameter
without cord compression. There is a bilobed 7 mm perineural
cyst in the right neuroforamen. There is no neuroforaminal
narrowing.
C7-T1: There is no disc bulge or protrusion. There is disc
degeneration with uncovering of the disc. There is an 8 mm
perineural cyst in the right neuroforamen. There is no spinal
canal or neuroforaminal narrowing.
IMPRESSION:
Moderate C5-6 spondylosis and mild ligamentum flavum hypertrophy
causing moderate spinal canal stenosis without cord compression
or edema. Moderate left and mild right C5-6 neuroforaminal
narrowing.
Mild C6-7 spondylosis with mild spinal canal stenosis.