Wallerian degeneration in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury:a magnetic resonance imaging study
Objective To explore the signal characteristics of Wallerian degeneration(WD)of the spinal cord in patients with trau-matic cervical spinal cord injury.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted.From January,2015 to December,2021,the clinical data of 191 pa-tients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury in Beijing Boai Hospital were included.According to sagittal and axial T2-weighted images(T2WI)of routine cervical magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),the patients were divid-ed into WD group and non-WD group.The gender,age,mechanism of injury,American Spinal Injury Associa-tion Impairment Scale(AIS),neurological level,and time interval to obtain MRI after injury were compared be-tween two groups.The characteristics of WD in dorsal column(DC),lateral spinothalamic tract(ST)and lateral corticospinal tract(CS)were analyzed.Results A total of 115 cases(60.2%)showed WD.There were significant differences in age,mechanism of injury,AIS grade,and time interval to obtain MRI after injury between two groups(Z>3.820,χ2>9.104,P<0.05).In WD group,the occurrence rates of WD in DC and ST above the injury site were 100%and 87%,respectively.Below the injury site,the occurrence rate of WD in CS was 35.7%.Based on the pattern of WD signal appearance,three groups were identified:15 cases(13%)had only DC signal changes,59 cases(51.3%)had changes in both DC and ST,and 41 cases(35.7%)had changes in all the three locations(DC,ST and CS).There was significant dif-ference in the time interval to obtain MRI after injury(H = 90.794,P<0.05)among three groups,while there was no significance in AIS grade(P>0.05).Conclusion Routine MRI examination with T2WI could detect WD signals in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury,and the occurrence of WD is associated with post-injury time.
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
万方数据
