Abstract :
Background: Compressive myelopathy is a broad term that refers to spinal cord involvement of multiple
etiologies. It is the term used to describe the spinal cord compression either from outside or within the cord
itself. In contrast to plain radiograph MRI is considered a better imaging modality to assess soft tissue of
spine and spinal cord abnormalities like traumatic myelopathy, spinal tumors and spinal infections. Many of
these diseases are potentially reversible if they are recognized on time. Hence the importance of recognizing
the significance of MRI lies on an early and accurate diagnosis. Keeping this in view, study was aimed to
evaluate the causes of compressive myelopathy with their characterization by MRI.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive hospital-based study was conducted by purposive sampling. Fifty
clinically suspected cases of compressive myelopathy were investigated with MRI.
Results: Most common cause for compressive myelopathy in our study was spinal trauma (50%) followed
by spinal infection (28%). Extradural compressive lesions (90%) were the most common cause for
compressive myelopathy. MRI detected cord changes in 88% of cases with cord compression and also
assessed the integrity of spinal cord, intervertebral discs and ligament after acute spinal trauma.
Conclusion: Patients with suspected Compressive myelopathies could be benefitted with evaluation by
MRI, as it is highly accurate and sensitive non-invasive modality for characterizing and identifying the
underlying etiology, as well as associated features. Thus, helps in stating the long-term prognosis of the
patient.
Keyword :
Magnetic resonance imaging, Spine, Spinal cord, Cord compression, Myelopathy.