Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Cervical Foraminal Changes in Patients with Intermittent Arm Radiculopathy Studied with a New MRI Compatible Compression Device

John Hutchins
* ORCID logo ,
Hanna Hebelka
ORCID logo ,
Pär-Arne Svensson
,
Tor Åge Myklebust
,
Kerstin Lagerstrand
ORCID logo ,
Helena Brisby
Version 1 : Received: 1 September 2023 / Approved: 5 September 2023 / Online: 6 September 2023 (14:31:16 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Hutchins, J.; Hebelka, H.; Svensson, P.-A.; Myklebust, T.Å.; Lagerstrand, K.; Brisby, H. Cervical Foraminal Changes in Patients with Intermittent Arm Radiculopathy Studied with a New MRI-Compatible Compression Device. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 6493. Hutchins, J.; Hebelka, H.; Svensson, P.-A.; Myklebust, T.Å.; Lagerstrand, K.; Brisby, H. Cervical Foraminal Changes in Patients with Intermittent Arm Radiculopathy Studied with a New MRI-Compatible Compression Device. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 6493.

Abstract

Diagnosing cervical foraminal stenosis with intermittent arm radiculopathy is chal-lenging due to discrepancies between MRI findings and symptoms. This can be attributed to the fact that MRI images are often obtained in a relaxed supine position. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of the Dynamic MRI Compression System (DMRICS) and to assess possible changes in cervical foramina, with both quantitative measurements and qualitative grading systems, with MRI during a simulated Spurling test. Ten patients (5 women and 5 men, ages 29-45) with previously confirmed cervical foraminal stenosis underwent MRI scans using DMRICS. MRIs were acquired in both relaxed and provoked states. A radiologist assessed 30 foramina (C4-C7) on the symptomatic side in both patient positions. Quantitative and qualitative measures were performed including the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and the Park and Kim grading systems. The provoked state induced concordant neck and arm pain in 9 of 10 patients. Significant shifts in Park and Kim fo-raminal gradings were noted: 13 of 27 Park gradings and 9 of 27 Kim gradings escalated post-provocation. No quantitative changes were observed. This pilot study indicates that the DMRICS device has potential to improve diagnostic accuracy for cervical radicu-lopathy, demonstrating induced cervical foraminal changes during a simulated Spurling test while performing MRI.

Keywords

Cervical spine; dynamic MRI; foraminal stenosis; kinetic MRI; Spurling test

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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