Hi ~ I'm so sorry I haven't responded til now -- I've been sick. I'll try to help.

The straightening of the cervical lordosis means your neck is straighter than normal. This is usually caused by muscle spasms. There's a lesion at T1-T2 in the left aspect of T2 which appears to be a hemangioma -- this is a benign tumor of blood vessels that typically occur as purplish/reddish elevated area of tissue.

C2-3 minimal bony ridging, uncovertebral hypertrophy bilaterally - this means overgrowth of bone on both sides.

C3-4 Facet and uncovertebral hypertrophy. The facets are the 'wing-like" structures on both sides of the spinal cord, and you can see and feel them if you hunch your back over. So there is bony overgrowth on both sides. There is also mild biforaminal incroachment. The foramen are the holes that the nerves pass thru to get to the spinal cord. These are becoming narrow.

C4-5 bony ridging, asymmetric facet and uncovertebral hypertrophy with SEVERE right sided foraminal encroachment and mild left sided foraminal encroachment. There is mild front effacement (wiping out) of the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) but no spinal canal stenosis.

C5-6 Diffuse (spread out) disc bulge, bony ridging, facet and uncovertebral hypertrophy (see above) with very mild spinal canal stenosis (narrowing of spinal canal. There is SEVERE biforaminal encroachment.

C6-7 Facet and uncovertebral hypertrophy, minimal foraminal encroachment

T1-2 Bony ridging, facet hypertrophy moderate right & left foraminal encroachment.

Impression - There is increased signal in C5-6 which may indicate myelomalacia. This is a softening of the spinal cord due to bleeding/injury. This should be followed up clinically.


Again, I'm sorry I took so long to respond. I wish your doc had done this WITH AND WITHOUT, but oh well.

I would ask your doc to refer you to a NEUROSURGEON. Take your films and the report to this Neurosurgeon for an opinion. You need to find out what he thinks. IF he mentions surgery, get 2 MORE opinions from other neurosurgeons. You NEVER take one doctors opinion! EVER. See what all 3 of the think and then you can make an educated decision.

First you must know that surgery is NOT for pain. Surgery is only for mechanical problems. Usually after surgery, you're left with the same pain or worse. Some people are lucky, and their pain is eased AT FIRST -- but after awhile, their original pain comes back with a vengeance. Also, there is the "Domino Effect." This is where the levels above/below the surgery site fail. That's because they have to take on more of the load. So that means more surgery. And after THAT level has been repaired, the levels above/below THAT surgery site fail, and that means more surgery - and on and on and on. It's a vicious circle.

So spinal surgery is something you must think very carefully about. It should be a LAST RESORT after ALL CONSERVATIVE METHODS have been exhausted! That means lots of physical therapy, and anything else they have to offer, perhaps even the Spinal Cord Stimulator! I've had that implanted but unfortunately due to other problems it had to come out. But it works great for pain for most people!!!

So please -- get at least opinions from other Neurosurgeons and see what they say, okay? And let us know what happens! God bless and please take care. Hugs, Lee