RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTRASPINAL SIGNAL AND LESION BY LINE SCAN DIFFUSION

1. 本研究的目的是分析表观扩散系数（ADC）和分数各向异性（FA）在颈椎病患者脊髓异常早期检测中的可行性。正常脊髓的ADC在C2-3水平为0.81+/-0.03mm2/msec，在C4-7水平为0.75+/-0.06mm2/msec。在颈椎病中，54%的患者ADC高于正常脊髓。正常脊髓FA在C2-3水平为0.70+/-0.05，在C4-7水平为0.66+/-0.05。在54% ADC升高的颈椎病患者中，异常脊髓的FA减少。3特斯拉磁共振成像机应用EPI扩散加权成像获得了类似的结果。然而，EPI图像容易受到敏感性伪影和运动伪影的影响，这使得ADC和fami的测量比线扫描图像的测量更加困难。此外，在测量异常脊髓信号时，还需要考虑年龄因素。ADC与年龄呈正相关（Spearman相关，r=0.242）， FA与年龄呈负相关（Spearman相关，r=-0.244）。然而，ADC和随年龄变化最小，颈椎病弥散信号变化似乎相对较大。经弥散加权图像数据处理后的脊髓束造影便于直观评价颈椎病患者脊髓受压情况。弥散加权图像和ADC/FA值被认为对颈椎病脊髓改变的早期检测有用。它有很大的潜力作为手术标准的附加信息和早期发现的指征，以更好地预测疾病。

1. The aim of the study was to analyze feasibility of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) and Fractional Anisotropy (FA) in early detection of abnormal spinal cord in cervical spondylosis patients. ADC of the normal spinal cord was 0.81+/-0.03mm2/msec at C2-3 level and 0.75+/-0.06mm2/msec at C4-7 level In spondylosis spinal cord, ADC was elevated compared with normal spinal cord in 54% of all patients. FA of the normal spinal cord was 0.70+/-0.05 at C2-3 level and 0.66+/-0.05 at C4-7 level. In those 54% of spondylosis patients whom had elevated ADC showed reduced FA in the abnormal spinal cord. Similar result was obtained with 3 tesla MRI machine using EPI diffusion weighted imaging. Howeveg EPI images tended to be affected by susceptibility artifact and motion artifact, which made measurement of ADC and Famore difficult than measurement on Line scan images. Moreover, there is an age factor to be considered when abnormal spinal cord signals are measured. With age, ADC showed positive correlation(Spearman Correlation, r=0.242)and FA showed negative correlation (Spearman Correlation, r=-0.244). Howevee ADC and Fachanges with age are minimum and the diffusion signal changes in cervical spondylosis seemed to be relatively large.2. Tractography processed from diffusion weighted image data was convenient to visually evaluate compression of spinal cord in cervical spondylosis cases.3. Diffusion weighted images and ADC/FA values were considered to be useful for early detection of spinal cord changes in cervical spondylosis. It has a great potential as additional information for operative criteria and indication of early detection to serve better prognosis in the disease.