Value of diffusion tensor 3.0T MR imaging in the diagnosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy in the elderly

Objective To assess the value of diffusion tensor 3.0T MR imaging in elderly patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Methods Twenty-eight elderly patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy were examined with routine MRI and DTI on SIEMENS 3.0T MAGNETOM Verio MR scanner using single shot echo planar imaging (SEEPI)sequences. The images of cervical spinal cord were obtained. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured on a sagittal section according to whether there were high signal on T2-weighted images or not. Results All 28 cervical spondylotic myelopathy cases completed the examinations without obvious artifacts on the diffusion tensor images. 3 of 10 cases showed no significant difference compared with normal cervical spinal cord. Conclusions Diffusion tensor imaging is a reliable tool in demonstrating the early spondylosis-related changes of the cervical spinal cord compared with conventional T2-weighted images. It can provide useful information for chronic injury and regeneration of the cervical spondylotic myelopathy.