Can anybody help

L

Lowe

New member
Hi, I am a newbie to the board, and have been reading a lot of the post and have gotten a lot of information. Thank you guys for sharing. I am a 39 year old female with a very active family. Can anybody help me with MRI Results? I have had a lurabar laminectomy and fusion at L3-5 in 2001 and have not had that much trouble until recently. Started having nurabness and tingling in left foot and moved up leg to the other leg and foot. Went into PCP and she did x-ray on entire spine due to I have RA. Lots of changes L5 had slipped out, went to neurologist and he ordered ct and MRI. MRI showed Bulging disk at L2, and other changes. CT showed that I had never fused. Neurologist said surgery down the road to wait as long as I could. He sent me for a MRI of Cervical neck, I have gotten the report but have not been back to see him yet, and i am scared of what he will say. What does the report mean and will I have to have surgery? Can anyone explain it to me?

Findings:
The vertebral bodies are maintained in height. There is straightening of the normal cervical lordosis.

The C2-3 level is normal. The C3-4 level demonstrates a small disk osteophyte complex eccentric to the left indentation of the ventral thecal sac.

At C4-5, small disk osteophyte complex is demonstrated.

At C5-6, a broad-based disk osteophyte complex indents the thecal sac and abuts the spinal cord. There is root entry zone and central spinal stenosis. At C6-7, a disk osteophyte complex indents the thecal sac and abuts the ventral spinal cord resulting in central and lateral recess stenosis. The C7-T1 level is normal.

IMPRESSIONS:

1. Tricompartmental stenosis at C5-6 and C6-7 resulting from disk osteophyte complexes.
2. Small disk osteophyte complex eccentric to the right at C3-4.
3. Cervical straightening.

I am having nurabness and tingling in both arms and pain at the fingertips and my feet. Also I get dizzy and drop things all the time, shoulder hurts alot.

Could anyone tell me what the MRI means and does it mean surgery? I tried to post this before but don't think it posted.

Sorry it is so long, thank you for any input!
 
The way I am reading the report my main concernis that it says you have "STENOSIS." This means that there is a narrowing. If I read your post correctly it says...."central and lateral recess stenosis."

To me this means that there is a narrowing of your spine on the nerves that run thru the center of the spine. The lateral if I am correct means narrowing on either side of the spine.

I have had stenosis in the neck and the lurabar regions. I had surgery done for it on my neck years ago. Then I developed stenosis again in the neck and lurabar regions. I get radiating pain in the neck to the shoulder regions. In my lurabar region I have nurabness in my leg and radiating pain on both sides more the left then the right.

Medications and physical therapy may help. Surgery may be an option depending on how severe it is and if nothing else works.

The main thing is trying to reduce the pressure that is being placed on the nerves from the narrowing or the stenosis.

Whoever you see you should see either an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon who SPECIALIZES in spine related problems.

Good luck and let us know what happens.
 
Thank you so much pebble beach, I have really been worried because don't know how long it will take to get into neurologist. Hope you are doing well. I will check out the board to know what is going on. Thanks again.
 
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