Diagnosis Of Spinal Diseases Research Articles

Computed Tomography of the Spinal Canal

The value of computed tomography (CT) in cases of spinal dysraphism, spinal canal narrowing and widening, and spinal bony abnormalities is discussed. With further experience, CT may become a valuable modality for the diagnosis of spinal diseases.

Unilateral Paraspinal Abscess

In the past several years attention has been drawn to an important anatomical landmark in the study of lesions of the thoracic spine known as the linear thoracic paraspinal shadow or posteromesial pleural line (1, 4, 5, 6). In many lesions of the thoracic spine there is found to be a fusiform shadow produced by lateral displacement of the pleural borders which aids materially in the diagnosis of spinal disease in this region. It is the purpose of this paper to draw attention to the occurrence of unilateral displacement of this line, rather than the well recognized bilateral or fusiform shadow. Anatomy Careful anatomical studies by Lachman (6), Garland (5), and Brailsford (1) have demonstrated that on the left this posteromesial line is formed by the mediastinal pleural border of the left lung. In the lower portion of the thorax it lies perpendicular to the central rayon anteroposterior roentgenograms of the thorax. Normally the line lies immediately adjacent to and parallel to the lateral border of the th...

SENSORY DISTURBANCES IN TUMORS OF THE CERVICAL SPINAL CORD

The symptoms and signs of disturbed motility and of altered sensibility, observed in many patients with compression of the spinal cord by a neoplasm, form a syndrome which is typical of pressure on the spinal cord. In not a few instances, however, the disturbance of motor power is much more advanced than that of sensation, and often the diminution of one or other type of sensibility is out of proportion to the changes in other modalities. The study of these clinical variations, which may be found in tumors at all levels but are often striking in compression of the cervical segments of the spinal cord, not only has yielded valuable information for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of spinal disease, but also has advanced our knowledge of the course and the arrangement of the fibers in the sensory pathways. In extramedullary tumors, it is often possible to obtain the history