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  • MRI Report Questions

    I'm going for my pre-op testing tomorrow and getting all my documents, Xrays & reports together this morning. I had my MRI a few weeks ago, and here is some info from the report. I'm thinking it doesn't look too bad, but if anyone can help me understand it better, I'd appreciate it.

    ***************************
    There is 5 mm of left lateral translation of L2 on L3. There is 2 mm of retrolisthesis of L2 on L3. There is no evidence of congenital vertebral body anomaly.

    There is mild loss of disc height at L2 to L3. Bone marrow sigal is within normal limits. The conus terminates at the L1 to L2 level and is normal in signal.

    T12 to L2 there is minimal disc bulge but no significant central canal or neural foraminal narrowing.

    L2 to L3 there is mild disc bulge eccentric to the right. There is mild bilateral facet hypertrophy. There is mild central canal narrowing but no significant neural foraminal narrowing.

    L3 to L4 there is mild bilateral facet hypertrophy.

    L4 to L5 there is minimal disc bulge and tiny right foraminal disc protrusion. There is bilateral facet hypertrophy with no significant central canal narrowing but mild right neural foraminal narrowing.

    L5 to S1 there is a minimal disc bulge but no significant central canal or neural foraminal narrowing.

    IMPRESSION:

    THere is moderate to severe lumbar spine dextroscoliosis. THere is 5 mm of left lateral translation of L2 on L3. There is 2 mm of retrolisthesis of L2 on L3.

    Mild degenerative changes as above.
    __________________________________________
    Debbe - 50 yrs old

    Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
    Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

    Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
    Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
    Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

    Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
    Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

  • #2
    Ask your doctor

    Hi Deb,

    I am not a doctor and i would assume that nobody else on this site is either. I have no idea what the report means and again, I would guess NOBODY on this forum would either. So my point - leave it to your doctor to interpret. That is what they are there for. Any other interpretation on this site will only leave you with potential misinformation and unnecessary worry, as a result. Usually they do not provide reports like that to patients, precisely for this reason. They SHOULD ONLY be interpreted by professionals.

    Leave it out of the forum.

    Rgds.
    Mum to Tahlia, aged 15. Fused from T2 - L3, 18/11/08.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Kitty View Post
      Hi Deb,

      I am not a doctor and i would assume that nobody else on this site is either. I have no idea what the report means and again, I would guess NOBODY on this forum would either. So my point - leave it to your doctor to interpret. That is what they are there for. Any other interpretation on this site will only leave you with potential misinformation and unnecessary worry, as a result. Usually they do not provide reports like that to patients, precisely for this reason. They SHOULD ONLY be interpreted by professionals.

      Leave it out of the forum.

      Rgds.
      Believe it or not, I'm not too woried, I am only curious. And the doctor didn't give me this report; I went to the radiology center where the MRI was done and requetsed a copy of the report. I think it's important to have this info in my files, whether I understand it or not.

      Thanks for your input.
      __________________________________________
      Debbe - 50 yrs old

      Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
      Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

      Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
      Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
      Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

      Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
      Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

      Comment


      • #4
        I'm definitely not in the medical profession, but just from learning and educating myself these past couple of years, I do know the basics of some of your MRI report. Some of this is just basic terminology beyond what we normally hear, but when put in layman's terms we can understand what the "big boys" (or girls) are talking about. I don't think that could be harmful or be considered as beyond our scope of understanding unless we try to figure out what should be done or we don't also ask our doctors about it to make sure it's correct. Ask your surgeon tomorrow about what it all means and he'll tell you.

        In a nutshell--dextroscoliosis is just scoliosis with the convexity to the right. So you have moderate to severe lumbar scoli with the convexity to the right. The L2/L3 problems are a shift-- or stair-step effect. Debbe, if you look at my x-rays and look at the 2nd one, it shows my lateral listhesis pretty well. That's a sideways shift-- and something like that causes problems for your spinal canal, making a compromised space for your spinal cord. You can probably see evidence of your shift on your x-ray, since it apparently goes to the left somewhat. Yours, of course, may be different from mine, but a listhesis is a shift out of alignment. I'm not sure if that helps any or not. My surgeon was able to fix up my L2/L3 and L3/L4 problems. Yours will too!

        PS-- let us know how it goes tomorrow. One more thing to build your excitement!
        Last edited by Susie*Bee; 09-28-2008, 12:58 PM. Reason: add about appointment
        71 and plugging along... but having some problems
        2007 52° w/ severe lumbar stenosis & L2L3 lateral listhesis (side shift)
        5/4/07 posterior fusion T2-L4 w/ laminectomies and osteotomies @L2L3, L3L4
        Dr. Kim Hammerberg, Rush Univ. Medical Center in Chicago

        Corrected to 15°
        CMT (type 2) DX in 2014, progressing
        10/2018 x-rays - spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 - Dr. DeWald is monitoring

        Click to view my pics: pics of scoli x-rays digital x-rays, and pics of me

        Comment


        • #5
          Kitty, I'm with Susie*Bee in that those of us who have seen a bazillion MRI reports (of our own), have some familiarity with the terminology. Simply relaying what the terms mean doesn't mean we profess to know what treatment is required.

          My $.02 on it, Debbe ...

          Originally posted by debbei View Post
          There is 5 mm of left lateral translation of L2 on L3. There is 2 mm of retrolisthesis of L2 on L3. There is no evidence of congenital vertebral body anomaly.
          Sounds like no hemi-vertebrae.

          Originally posted by debbei View Post
          There is mild loss of disc height at L2 to L3. Bone marrow sigal is within normal limits. The conus terminates at the L1 to L2 level and is normal in signal.
          Loss of disc height (generally caused by leakage over time) is usually linked to degenerative disc disease.

          As for some of the other terms, "central canal or neural foraminal narrowing" generally indicates stenosis.

          "Mild bilateral facet hypertrophy" simply indicates the facet joints are chronically inflamed.

          Nothing in what you posted is really alarming ... I'd guess almost all of us who've had surgery had similar MRI reports. I'm glad you're not overtly worried, and again, I'd like to say how proud I am of you for how far you've come .

          You're going to be fine, babe. Hang in there.

          Hugs,
          Pam
          Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
          AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


          41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
          Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
          Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


          VIEW MY X-RAYS
          EMAIL ME

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks Pam and Susie, your explanations helped. I figured that the word 'narrowing' indicated stenosis, and I think that's what he said that if the MRI found, he would fix, and was likely the cause of my right thigh pain, which, by the way, seems to have almost disappeared since early August. I attributed it to my exercising but who knows.

            Thanks Pam, I'm proud of myself too. We're on a whirlwind of people wanting to meet us for lunch & dinner, and last night, when a friend offered to donate blood for me (same blood type), I burst into tears. But they were happy tears with the nervousness mixed in. Everyone else wants to talk about this now, and I'm getting through it, but they just don't realize that talking about this over and over with everyone else puts added stress on me. I'm getting through it though.

            Turns out I don't think I can use this friend's blood anyway because he has rheumatoid arthritis and chron's disease. I have to see what the blood center says about that, but some stuff I looked up this morning says it's not a good idea for the donor (and I'm not sure about the donee.)

            Oh well, off to meet more friends for dinner tonight.
            __________________________________________
            Debbe - 50 yrs old

            Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
            Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

            Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
            Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
            Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

            Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
            Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

            Comment


            • #7
              Little love offerings, like the blood donation, can be so meaningful at this time, when you feel vulnerable and scared. I remember similar responses (bursting out in tears) when kindnesses came my way unexpectedly before my surgery.

              Debbei, you are doing a great job preparing for this surgery. How I wish I'd become active on the forum pre-op! I timidly asked a few questions, but I didn't really use it for support, as you are doing. If I could do it over again, I would have gotten "active".
              Ginger Woolley

              Oct 2018, L3 - S1, Anterior & Posterior, Dr Sigurd Berven, UCSF, San Francisco
              ******
              May 2008, T4 - L3, Dr. Ohenaba Boachie, Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC
              ******
              Sept 1967, T4 - T 11, without instrumentation, Dr Thomas Brown, Stanford

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