The Additive Value of MRI in Evaluating Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Trauma

Mostafa, Yomna Salah Ibrahim; Badran, Bahira Mohamed Fathallah; Enayet, Alshimaa Ahmed Ezzat Mohammed; El-Sayed, Hekmat Samir Bayoumi Ahmed; Bakr, Mohammed Mohammed

doi:https://doi.org/10.21608/aimj.2025.446479

The Additive Value of MRI in Evaluating Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Trauma

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Radiodiagnosis, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

² Department of Radiodiagnosis, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

³ Department of Radiodiagnosis, Damanhour National Medical Institute

⁴ Department of neurosurgery, Damanhour National Medical Institute

https://doi.org/10.21608/aimj.2025.446479

Abstract

Background: One of the most distressing injuries in humans is traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). It is correlated with a high rate of death, disability, and the need for long-term, expensive rehabilitation therapy.
Aim: To assess the additive value of MRI in the assessment of thoracolumbar spine injury in the setting of spinal trauma.
Patients and methods: The prospective research was conducted on 30 patients with thoracolumbar spine trauma in magnetic resonance imaging at Damanhur Medical National Institute throughout the period from April 2023 to April 2024.
Results: The TLICS averaged 7.4 ± 2.1, indicating severe injuries requiring surgery in 90% of cases. Morphology and PLC integrity scores reflected significant damage (2.9 ± 1.1 and 1.9 ± 1.3). Neurological status at admission averaged 2.6 ± 0.5, with 50% improving at discharge, including 13.3% achieving ASIA E. Complete cord transection and hemorrhage showed no recovery (ASIA A), while cord edema had the highest recovery rate (58%), with 17% achieving ASIA E. Spinal stenosis and epidural hematoma showed 67% recovery. A strong positive correlation was found between injury type, discharge AIS (r-value = 0.668, p-value < 0.001), and recovery rates (r-value = 0.464, p-value = 0.010), emphasizing injury severity's role in outcomes.
Conclusion: MRI is crucial for evaluating traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI), providing superior soft-tissue contrast and accurate diagnosis, despite limitations in correlating signal changes with functional outcomes.

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