No idea what this means
 

What does all this mean...
Hello,
My name is Massimo, I am 44 years of age.
I have had intense pain for almost two years now, just about how long it has taken to get proper diagnostic imaging performed. My G.P states "you have chronic pain and fibromyalgia". If his diagnosis is correct, what does all the findings in my reports mean?
BILATERAL PARTIAL SACRALIZATION AT L5 SEGMENT WITH PSEUDOARTHROSIS AT THE L5 TRANSVERSE PROCESS TO THE ALAE OF THE SACRUM.
C3-4, C4-5 SLIGHT DECREASE IN SIGNAL INTENSITY WITH BROAD BASED BULGING (NO SIGNIFICANT CORD OR ROOT COMPRESSION)
C5-6 SLIGHT DECREASE IN SIGNAL INTENSITY WITH A BROAD BASED DISC, OSTEOPHYTE PROTRUSION MEASURING SEVERAL MM INDENTING THE DURAL SAC
T1-7 MILD FACET HYPERTROPHY
T8-9 3MM RIGHT PARACENTRAL DISC EXTRUSION WHICH MILDLY INDENTS THE RIGHT ANTERIOR ASPECT OF THE SPINAL CORD
T6-7 THROUGH T11-12 THERE ARE MULTI LEVEL MILD-MODERATE DEGENERATIVE DISC CHANGES EXACERBATED BY ENDPLATE SCHMOLS NODES AND END PLATE IRREGULARITY.
T8-T11 FACET HYPERTROPHY
T11-T12 3MM BROAD BASED POSTERIOR CENTRAL HERNIATION WITH EFFACEMENT OF THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC
L2-3 FAR RIGHT LATERAL DISC EXTRUSION TO THE RIGHT SIDE CAUSING MILD DEGREE OF FORAMINAL NARROWING WITH POSSIBLE IMPINGEMENT UPON THE EXITING RIGHT L2 NERVE ROOT
L3-L4 MILD DISC DESICCATION WITH A POSTERIOR BROAD BASED DISC BULGE EXTENDING INTO THE FAR LATERAL REGION BILATERALLY CAUSING A MILD - MODERATE DEGREE OF FORAMINAL STENOSIS. SUSPICION OF IMPINGENMENT OF THE L3 NERVE ROOT. MILD FACET JOINT DEGENERATION.
L4-5 THERE IS A BROAD BASED DISC EXTRUSIONIS NOTED POSTERIORLY NEAR THE MID LINE. THIS ENDENTS THE ANTERIOR THECAL. THERE IS BILATERAL RECESS NARROWING, LEFT GREATER THAN THE RIGHT WITH LIKELY IMPINGEMENT UPON THE DESCENDING LEFT L5 NERVE ROOT. THERE IS MILD FACET JOINT HYPERTROPHY.
L5-S1 THERE IS A CHRONIC APPEARING LOSS OF DISC HEIGHT AND SIGNAL AND ASYMMETRIC LEFT SIDED DISC BULGINGINTO THE NEURAL FORAMIN AND LATERAL
I hope that someone can shed some light for me, I have no idea...
Thanks Massimo

I added some spacing for easier reading.. and bolded some of the key words for you. I don't know all the terms myself, just going by what sounds like it could be important.

I does look like you have some degenerative disk disease (also known as DDD), bulges and other things going on. Much more than Fibro & chronic pain - well the chronic pain could be stemming from the spinal issues..

What are your main symptoms & pain levels?

Thank you for making adjustments to my posting, I appreciate your help. I grew up as a young child with pain. I am not a stranger to chronic pain or at least to the chronicity part of it. There were findings of Sheuermann's Disease, Bertelotti's Syndrome, Facet Joint Syndrome, Mild Scoliosis and Sclerosis Of the Sacrum and Pelvis by the time I was 17. I had a father that would say it's in your head, you okay, perhaps it was denial. When he would take me to the Doctor I do not think he understood what was said. He was an immigrant and did not understand english well and unfortunately I was to young to comprehend. Time passed and doctors seemed to juggle diagnosis. There was also the diagnosis of leg length issues, the right being 1/2 inch shorter than the left. I tested positive with HLA-B27 so it was assumed that I was experiencing the early onset of Anklosing Spondulitis. The years passed and my G.P ended up labelling my for a lack of effort with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain. I recently had a consult with a neuro/ortho sergeon. His recommendation was posterior spinal fusion from T3 to L1 with a possible posterior osteotomy, unfortunately, I was told that it would make my lumbar worse. I cant sleep because of the lumbar, pelvic, groin and leg pain. It's like starting all over again.

Pain: Frequent headaches with dull pain in occipitalis. Numbness, pins and needles at the base of neck and across shoulders with heaviness down my arms with occasional cramping and numbness in hands. Crushing thoracic spine pain with wrap around pain and tightness in my ribs. Sharp lumbar spine pain that spreads across upper buttoks into hips and leg folds to the pubic bone. Stinging/tingling down entire left leg - upper thighs to knees, stinging, tingling. A sensation of cold water running down my shins and into feet with little extension in foot raise. I have had a couple falls this past year and recently fractured my left ankle and hurt my head. I am not without hope, I just do not know where to go from here. I may not of mentioned, I live in Ontario - Canada and had to wait a year and half to see the only surgeon to date.
Massimo

Lots to take in...you need a better guide.
 

BILATERAL PARTIAL SACRALIZATION AT L5 SEGMENT WITH PSEUDOARTHROSIS AT THE L5 TRANSVERSE PROCESS TO THE ALAE OF THE SACRUM.
Sacralization unusual fusion of the fifth lumbar vertebra with the first segment of the sacrum (a triangular bone at the base of the spine that joins to a hip bone on each side and forms part of the pelvis.).

C3-4, C4-5 SLIGHT DECREASE IN SIGNAL INTENSITY Start here…the MRI emits signal that is read by intensity and in the case of an MRI it is a relative quantity.
WITH BROAD BASED BULGING (NO SIGNIFICANT CORD OR ROOT COMPRESSION) They are saying that the disk is pooched out in a manner that is near 360 degrees but it does not push up against the spinal cord or the nerves that exit the cord.

C5-6 SLIGHT DECREASE IN SIGNAL INTENSITY A BROAD BASED DISC OSTEOPHYTE PROTRUSION MEASURING SEVERAL MM INDENTING THE DURAL SAC
This is describing a bone spur (OSTEOPHYTE) that had grown into the central spinal column enough to push on the outer covering of the spinal cord(dural sac).

T1-7 MILD FACET HYPERTROPHY Hypertrophy: the enlargement or overgrowth of an organ or part due to an increase in size of its constituent cells. This is usually not bone but tissue such as scar tissue. A facet is the joint that forms the outlet for the nerves coming off the spinal cord.

T8-9 3MM RIGHT PARACENTRAL DISC EXTRUSION WHICH MILDLY INDENTS THE RIGHT ANTERIOR ASPECT OF THE SPINAL CORD The radiologist is noting that the disc at this level pushes out enough that it is actually pushing on the spinal cord.

T6-7 THROUGH T11-12 THERE ARE MULTI LEVEL MILD-MODERATE DEGENERATIVE DISC CHANGES EXACERBATED BY ENDPLATE SCHMOLS NODES AND END PLATE IRREGULARITY.
I’m fuzzy on this one maybe someone more experienced withy it can help.
T8-T11 FACET HYPERTROPHY
In this case the hypertrophy means the channel is smaller by means of tissue growth.

T11-T12 3MM BROAD BASED POSTERIOR CENTRAL HERNIATION WITH EFFACEMENT OF THE VENTRAL THECAL SAC Here again the disk is herniated (damage where the internal substance of the disk is allowed to breach the disk covering.

L2-3 FAR RIGHT LATERAL DISC EXTRUSION TO THE RIGHT SIDE CAUSING MILD DEGREE OF FORAMINAL NARROWING WITH POSSIBLE IMPINGEMENT UPON THE EXITING RIGHT L2 NERVE ROOT
Foramen: small openings in the spine where the nerves exit has narrowed and may be irritating the nerve root

L3-L4 MILD DISC DESICCATION WITH A POSTERIOR BROAD BASED DISC BULGE EXTENDING INTO THE FAR LATERAL REGION BILATERALLY CAUSING A MILD - MODERATE DEGREE OF FORAMINAL STENOSIS. SUSPICION OF IMPINGENMENT OF THE L3 NERVE ROOT. MILD FACET JOINT DEGENERATION.
Disk desiccation is related to a degeneration of the disk itself. It’s vague because they are not sure exactly what is causing it but the disk doesn’t look healthy. Stenosis means narrowing so the disk is causing the foramen to narrow. The joint is generally showing a fair amount of wear.

L4-5 THERE IS A BROAD BASED DISC EXTRUSIONIS NOTED POSTERIORLY NEAR THE MID LINE. THIS ENDENTS THE ANTERIOR THECAL. THERE IS BILATERAL RECESS NARROWING, LEFT GREATER THAN THE RIGHT WITH LIKELY IMPINGEMENT UPON THE DESCENDING LEFT L5 NERVE ROOT. THERE IS MILD FACET JOINT HYPERTROPHY.
Refer to above

L5-S1 THERE IS A CHRONIC APPEARING LOSS OF DISC HEIGHT AND SIGNAL AND ASYMMETRIC LEFT SIDED DISC BULGINGINTO THE NEURAL FORAMIN AND LATERAL
Refer to above

Do you like your doctor? :confused: I hope not because I would get a new one like yesterday. You have some spinal issues that have nothing to do with the diagnosis that your were given. In fact it’s kind of scary what your doctor said.:eek:

Dessication--
 

--refers to the drying out of the discs themselves, which is very common with age and makes them more likely to flatten or bulge, as they are less "spongy" than previously.

The foramen are the "holes" between and to the sides of the vertebrae through which nerve roots pass to connect to the spinal cord itself. Normally, the nevre roots take up somewhere between one-quarter to one-half of that space; if the foramen narrow due to disk bulging or overgrowth of bone (hypertrophy), the nerve roots may be contacted/compressed and cause symptoms. This is not spinal cord stenosis per se, but compression of the cord proper or of the nerve roots can be caused by similar overgrowth of bone and/or disc bulging.

need clearification
 

[B]I have minimal disc hermiation with effacement of thecal sac , without spinal cord compression in my c3-4 down to my c6-7 in my cervical spine



And my L-s spine says l1-2 down to L5-S1 it all says minimal disc herniation with disc narrowing with disc desiccation with out spinal canal stenosis i dont understand what it means

lots of areas that are causing pain...
 

if you read my mri report it would sound similar to yours. my surgeon stated we cant fix your whole spine. physical therapy or aqua therapy plus proper pain meds may be your best bet....pete