Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical nerve root avulsion in brachial plexus injuries : new imaging technique and classification

The Author describes a new magnetic resonance (MR) imaginng technique of the cervical nerve roots in traumatic brachial plexus injury. The overlapping coronal-oblique slice MR imaging procedure of the cervical nerve root was performed in 35 patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury. The results were retrospectively evaluated and classified into four major categories (normal rootlet, rootlet partial injuries, avulsion, and meningocele), after diagnosis by surgical exploration. In this study, the sensitivity of detection of the cervical nerve root avulsion in MR imaging was the same (92.9%) as that of myelography and CT myelography. The reliability and reproducibility of the MR imaging classification was prospectively in 10 patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury, assessed by eight independent observers, and its diagnostic accuracy was compared with that of myelography and CT myelography. In this study, interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility showed that there were no statistically significant difference between both modalities. This new MR imaging technique is a reliable and reproducible method for detecting nerve root avulsion, and the MR imaging information provided valiable data for helping to decide whether to proceed with exploration, nerve repair, primary reconstruction, or other imaging modalities.

腕神経叢引き抜き損傷

MRI

分類

脊髄造影・CTM

診断能

本文データは山口大学医学会の許諾に基づきCiNiiから複製したものである