Extraspinal Incidental Findings at Lumbar Spine Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Two Hospitals: Prevalence and Clinical Importance

Abstract

Objective: To assess the importance of incidental extraspinal findings on Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the lumbar spine in two hospital facilities. Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive and retrospective study from November 2015 to March 2016. The records of patients who had done a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan of the lumbar spine were re-read in search of incidental findings. The incidental findings found were classified using Colonography Reporting and Data System(C-RADS) classification of extracolonic lesions to assess clinical significance. The prevalence of incidental findings was calculated for each facility, as well as the distribution according to age, the organs involved and the clinical importance. A non-detection rate was calculated by confronting the findings of the study with the original reports. Results: The prevalence of incidental findings was respectively 33% (19 out of 36) in Jordan Medical Center (JMC) in Yaounde and 27.74% (106 out of 292) in Jacques Monod Hospital. The extraspinal incidental findings were classified mainly as extracolonic 2 (E2): 58% in each facility. The percentage detection of incidental findings was 5% at JMS and 1.7% at Jacques Monod Hospital. Conclusion: Extraspinal incidental findings are frequent in both hospitals. However, the rate of detection remains very low.