TY - JOUR

T1 - White matter spinal tracts impairment in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy evaluated with the magnetization transfer saturation MRI technique

AU - Filimonova, Elena

AU - Abdaev, Mars

AU - Vasilenko, Ivan

AU - Kubetskij, Yulij

AU - Prokhorov, Oleg

AU - Rzaev, Jamil

N1 - © 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Spinal Cord Society.

PY - 2024/10

Y1 - 2024/10

N2 - Study design: Prospective case-control study. Objectives: We investigated the use of the magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat) technique to assess the structural integrity of the spinal cord tracts in individuals with clinically significant degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and associated disability. Setting: Novosibirsk Neurosurgery Centre, Russia. Methods: A total of 53 individuals diagnosed with DCM and 41 patients with cervical radiculopathy underwent high-resolution MRI of the cervical spinal cord via the magnetization transfer technique. The MRI data were processed using the Spinal Cord Toolbox (v5.5), with MTsat values determined for each spinal tract and compared between the two groups. Furthermore, associations between MTsat values and the clinical disability rates of patients were investigated. Results: A significant decrease in the MTsat of the ventral spinocerebellar tract was observed in the DCM group compared to the control group (adjusted p < 0.001). There was a trend towards lower MTsat values in the rubrospinal tract in the DCM group (adjusted p = 0.08). Additionally, a decrease in MTsat values in the lateral funiculi of the spinal cord was found in patients with DCM (adjusted p < 0.01). Furthermore, a trend toward a positive correlation was observed between the JOA score and the MTsat values within the ventral spinocerebellar tract (R = 0.33, adjusted p = 0.051). Conclusions: The findings of our study indicate that demyelination in patients with DCM affects mainly the ventral spinocerebellar and rubrospinal tracts, and the extent of changes in the ventral spinocerebellar tract is related to the severity of the condition.

AB - Study design: Prospective case-control study. Objectives: We investigated the use of the magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat) technique to assess the structural integrity of the spinal cord tracts in individuals with clinically significant degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and associated disability. Setting: Novosibirsk Neurosurgery Centre, Russia. Methods: A total of 53 individuals diagnosed with DCM and 41 patients with cervical radiculopathy underwent high-resolution MRI of the cervical spinal cord via the magnetization transfer technique. The MRI data were processed using the Spinal Cord Toolbox (v5.5), with MTsat values determined for each spinal tract and compared between the two groups. Furthermore, associations between MTsat values and the clinical disability rates of patients were investigated. Results: A significant decrease in the MTsat of the ventral spinocerebellar tract was observed in the DCM group compared to the control group (adjusted p < 0.001). There was a trend towards lower MTsat values in the rubrospinal tract in the DCM group (adjusted p = 0.08). Additionally, a decrease in MTsat values in the lateral funiculi of the spinal cord was found in patients with DCM (adjusted p < 0.01). Furthermore, a trend toward a positive correlation was observed between the JOA score and the MTsat values within the ventral spinocerebellar tract (R = 0.33, adjusted p = 0.051). Conclusions: The findings of our study indicate that demyelination in patients with DCM affects mainly the ventral spinocerebellar and rubrospinal tracts, and the extent of changes in the ventral spinocerebellar tract is related to the severity of the condition.

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Female

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

KW - Case-Control Studies

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - Spinal Cord Diseases/diagnostic imaging

KW - White Matter/diagnostic imaging

KW - Aged

KW - Adult

KW - Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging

KW - Cervical Cord/diagnostic imaging

KW - Radiculopathy/diagnostic imaging

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85202190567&origin=inward&txGid=09df6f31284adc2d284ad6ab719fd45e

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/28d983dc-a3f5-3080-84ac-80436bad78ab/

U2 - 10.1038/s41393-024-01025-1

DO - 10.1038/s41393-024-01025-1

M3 - Article

C2 - 39191861

VL - 62

SP - 590

EP - 596

JO - Spinal cord

JF - Spinal cord

SN - 1362-4393

IS - 10

ER -