Voxel-based analysis of grey and white matter degeneration in cervical spondylotic myelopathy

This study used high-resolution MRI to examine spinal cord degeneration above the site of stenosis in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). The researchers looked at grey matter (GM), white matter (WM), and posterior columns (PC) to determine atrophy, and used diffusion indices to assess the integrity of specific spinal cord tracts. The study found that patients with CSM showed atrophy in the WM, GM, and PC above the stenosis, and these changes were related to clinical impairment.

• 1
  Patients with CSM exhibited significant atrophy in the cervical white matter (13.9%), grey matter (7.2%), and posterior columns (16.1%) above the level of stenosis.
• 2
  Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) revealed reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the posterior columns (-11.98%) and lateral corticospinal tracts (-12.96%) in CSM patients.
• 3
  Atrophy and FA reduction in the posterior columns were associated with sensory impairment, while FA reduction in the lateral corticospinal tracts correlated with decreased functional independence.