MRI Findings

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tnbdaniel

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My son had a MRI on his Lurabar Spine and the findings read:

L3/4: 2 mm anular symmetric bulge of the disc, mild neural foraminal narrowing bilaterally. No central canal stenosis.
L4/5: 2 mm broad-based extradural defect, mild neural foraminal narrowin to moderate. No central canal stenosis.
L5/S1: 2 mm anular symmetric bulge of the disc, moderate neural foraminal narrowing, more sever on the left than the right. No central canal stenosis. No impingement against the exiting nerve root sleeves.

Can someone explain what this means?

Thank you
 
Basically, there are degenerative problems in the bottom 3 discs in your son's spine. All three discs are bulging (basically starting to collapse). The bottom 2 are worse than the third one up. This bulging is causing foraminal narrowing, which means the side openings of the spine where the nerve roots exit at each level is becomming more narrow so the nerve roots are likely being pinched (ouch!).

I started off having a broad-based disc bulge which didn't bother me too bad when I would stand, but I couldn't sit as the disc would bulge really bad from the pressure of sitting and it would pinch my nerves. Are there positions that cause your son more pain than others?

He may or may not need surgery to correct these problems, but he should try every conservative treatment possible before agreeing to surgery.
 
did anyone actually explain just what that "extradural defect" is all about? what it actually is or consists of just neeRAB to be much more further explored and identified right now since it would appear from the description that while this is NOT 'in' the spinal cord itself,i t IS within that spinal canal, only outside that protective dura or the thecal sac that surrounRAB the spinal cord. THAT finding just neeRAB further testing. there is another type of MRI called a "3T or 3 tesla" scan that actually uses three times the magnestism than a regular MRI uses that could be a bit more helpful in identifying this finding.

do you know if they actually used a contrasting agent for these pics or were these just done without it being added(he would have been given a IV for the second part of the MRI if they did). the contrast can just help in seeing certain findings a bit more clearly or even bring out ones that were not even visable upon the regular non contrasted MRI.

was this MRI ordered by his primary doc or have you actually been referred to a good ortho sugeon who ordered this for him? either way, he DOES need to be seen and have this whole thing and him evaluated by an ortho to just really know where to even begin here. this could be something that only a neuorsurgeon can do too just given that inter canal finding and whatever it turns out to be. it is kind of hard to know for certain given that description whether or not this is even IN that canal, but it really does sound like it from the overall description of it by the interpretting rad as being 'extra dural' it just means "outside the dura". butthat would sound to me like it is IN that canal but not IN the dura surrounding the cord,so that IS a really good thing there anyways. but i do think seeing both an ortho first then getting that very important second opinion from an actual neurosurgeon too would be you very best bet. i am a huge advocate of getting second opinons after my particular nightmare with my spinal cord occured. i actually got three seperate opinions on my situation only becasue of the two others being completely opposite each other in what i was told. great help.

just what exact symptoms is your son describing to you or what you are seeing in him as far as things that appear not normal for him types of movements or changes in his normal walking habits? the symptoms that anyone with a spinal issue is displaying or feeling, of any kind really are as important as seeing the MRIs are. not everything is always picked up on any given scan. that is why any given symptoms REALLY have the most impact as far as things that could be being affected yet nothing shows up well on any given scan?


good luck with this and do please keep us posted. marcia
 
What symptoms is your son experiencing? The symptoms have to match the findings to ge of any significance. If you were to take 100 random people off the street and give them an MRI - quite a few would show disc problems. But most wouldn't be experiencing any symptoms so thus would not need treatment.
 
First thank you all for the information... It is far more than I got from the Dr that didn't even take the time to talk to either of us. As for his symptoms, he said that it feels like a "burning" in his lower back. He said that is the best way to describe it. He hasn't injured his back or fell so I am really not sure how this all started. He has been experiencing pain for the last year or so. He just recently started a job where he had insurance coverage, that is why he has delayed treatment for so long.
 
Just so you know, some insurance companies will not cover preexisting conditions for new enrollees. There are lots of exceptions and such, but be aware of this. Sometimes if you haven't had a lapse in coverage the preexisting clause won't apply, but it sounRAB as though your son has been without insurance recently so it may apply. They often consider a condition preexisting if you have seen a doctor or have had any tests relating to the condition in the previous 12 months. He will need to discretely find out when he would be eligible for coverage of this condition, and it may not be when his insurance coverage starts. When he gets coverage he should be able to get a copy of his policy, but be aware this is often spelled out in the fine print which can be difficult to decipher.

How long ago was his MRI and when was the last time he saw a doctor regarding this condition?

Has your son ever had pain that radiated down one or both legs? Spine surgery tenRAB to be more successful for sciatica (pain down the legs) than for back pain.
 
I'm glad to see you've gotten some good explanations & suggestions here. One other thought I had is that in some cases where there is disc involvement such as described that it's possible to have the discs rehydrate when the patient has spinal decompression done. This involves special machines which you are strapped into - that essentially give a gentle tractioning to the body. As the pressure is taken off the spinal column the discs are able to begin the healing process.

Not everyone with a disc bulge is a candidate for decompression however - so your son would have see if he was likely to be helped by this - as well as finding out if he can get it covered or would have to pay out of pocket. Usually some massage type of therapy would be needed first to relax the muscles. Sometimes cold laser therapy and general PT can help reduce pain and tension to allow decompression to work. At least these therapies might help to improve your son's condition without resorting to surgery.
 
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