I have been having neck pain for some time, i am 57 and my MRI i just had shows this......my doctor is sending me to a neck/back doctor. but put me on something called "gabapentin"? Anyways, i read some of your comments/questions before i signed up......Am i looking a surgery?
Scared on Hat Island, Wa.
MRI OF THE CERVICAL SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST
EXAM DATE: May 7, 2015.
HISTORY: Persistent neck pain for 3 months.
COMPARISON: No prior MRI.
PROCEDURE: MRI of the cervical spine without contrast per routine.
FINDINGS:
No acute vertebral body height loss. Slight degenerative retrolisthesis of C4 on C5, C5 on C6, and C6 on C7. No acute marrow edema or prevertebral soft tissue thickening. No acute edema or asymmetric fatty atrophy of the posterior paraspinal muscles.
Normal MRI appearance of the cervical spinal cord. As far as partially visualized near the midline, posterior fossa structures are intact.
C2-C3: Moderate foraminal stenosis on the left from prominent asymmetric left side hypertrophic degenerative facet arthropathy with anteriorly directed spurring impinging the left neural foramen. Patent central canal and right foramen. No disk
herniation.
C3-C4: Mild bilateral foraminal stenosis mainly from facet degenerative hypertrophy. No disk herniation. Patent central canal. No significant disk space narrowing.
C4-C5: Moderate degenerative disk disease. Minimal ventral thecal sac indentation by posterior disk/osteophyte complex, no significant central stenosis or cord impingement however. Mild to moderate bilateral foraminal stenosis from uncinate process
spurring and facet arthropathy.
C5-C6: Moderate degenerative disk disease. Minimal ventral thecal sac indentation by shallow posterior disk bulge. Mild central stenosis. No cord impingement. Bilateral degenerative foraminal stenosis from uncinate process spurring and facet arthropathy,
mild to moderate on the right and moderate to severe on the left.
C6-C7: Moderate degenerative disk disease. Shallow broad-based posterior degenerative disk/osteophyte complex without significant central stenosis or cord impingement. Bilateral foraminal stenosis, mild on the left and moderate on the right from uncinate
process spurring, potentially accompanied by shallow intraforaminal disk bulge.
C7-T1: Unremarkable.
IMPRESSION-
1. No significant-appearing central stenosis, cord impingement or focal cord lesion.
2. Prominent multilevel degenerative foraminal stenosis, most evident on the left at C2-C3, left greater than right at C4-C5, bilaterally at C5-C6, and right greater than left at C6-C7.
3. Degenerative disk disease with slight subluxations is most prominent at C4-C5, C5-C6 and C6-C7.