Spinal Cord Lesions Due to Cervical Myelopathy. Pre- and Postoperative MRI Findings

Just as the pathophysiology and bicmechanics of cervical myelopathies are not clear, the patho-anatomical changes in the spinal cord, caused by prolonged compression are varied (Bedford et al. 1952; Hashizume et al. 1983; Ono et al. 1977). The patho-anatomical findings are a diffuse shrinking or a reduction of tissue substance in the region of the ventral horns. On melo-computertomograms tissue necroses were supposed, in some cases above and below the level of the compression (Iwasaki et al. 1985; Jinkins et al. 1986). It is correspondingly difficult to estimate and to correlate the prognosis from the clinical findings.