The Application of Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging Techniques in Cervical Spinal Cord

Objective To investigate the clinical applied value of diffusion-weighted MR imaging techniques in cervical spinal cord.Methods A multishot echo-planar imaging sequence with calculation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was applied in 33 patients including 5 cases of normal cervical spinal cord of healthy volunteers, 10 cases of tramatic cervical spinal cord with edema and 18 cases of protrusion of cervical vertibra. Peripheral pulse unit was fixed on left index fingers to diminish the pulsation artifact of spinal fluid. Auto shimming and navigator-guided technique were performed at the same time when scanning.Results All 33 cases got diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. 10 cases of spinal cord contusion (edema-type) showed low signals on ADC map and 18 cases of cervical spondylosis showed high signals on ADC map. Conclusion Reasonably using MR scanning techniques will realize the diffusion-weighted imaging of cervical spinal cord and helpful to diagnose early cervical spinal cord lesion.