Reproducibility, temporal stability, and functional correlation of diffusion MR measurements within the spinal cord in patients with asymptomatic cervical stenosis or cervical myelopathy

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to quantify the reproducibility, temporal stability, and functional correlation of diffusion MR characteristics in the spinal cord in patients with cervical stenosis with or without myelopathy. The association between longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements and serial neurological function assessment was explored at both the group and individual level.METHODSSixty-six nonoperatively treated patients with cervical stenosis were prospectively followed (3 months to > 5 years) using synchronous serial MRI and functional outcome assessment. A total of 183 separate MRI examinations were performed, separated by at least 3 months, and each patient had a minimum of 2 MRI scans (range 2–5 scans). Anatomical and DTI measurements were performed within the spinal cord at the C1–2 region as well as at the area of highest compression. Coefficients of variance (COVs) were compared across measurements in both reference tissue and areas of compression for anatomical m...