DRG damage – another way of diagnosis?
 

So I followed some the of the helpful links provided my Mrs.D going back a few years, and came across this: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...DBE7BEE.f02t04. The idea is basically that DRG damage or ganglionopathy shows up on a cervical MRI. More specifically that what shows up is T2 weighted hyperintense posterior lesions as well as smaller cord areas (it seems specifically at C3). So there is damage in signals being sent back to the CNS too, it seems and that’s how it’s showing up. Does this sound right? Anyone know more about this?

Here’s my main question. I’m no expert here, and I haven’t had an MRI of my DRG, but I’ve had a cervical MRI with the following bit in it: “There is loss of T2 hyperintense disc signal at the C2-3 through C6-7 levels reflecting multilevel disc degeneration.” I’m wondering whether this is completely different, and that my loss of T2 hyperintense disc signal has nothing to do with T2 hyperintense lesions, but I really have no idea. I’d be grateful if someone knew more about this and could make sense of it for me.

Also, my cervical MRI was done without contrast, and if I’m not mistaken, to really (or at all?) see lesions, you need the contrast. My brain MRI was done with contrast and came back clean, but I had a terrible allergic reaction to it, ended up in emergency, and even had completely numb arms for a day or two, so they decided not to do the cervical with contrast a few days later.

Thank you in advance.

Just as a note--
 

--traditional MRI, even with the different type of images, is not that good at picking up lesions in the dorsal root ganglia; the radiologist reading the scans has to additionally be looking for them very specifically and to be familiar through training what they might look like. Otherwise they just seem to be signal fluctuations of uncertain significance.

What I believe they may actually have been using in this study, although I don't believe it was referred to this way, then, is the fairly new specialized MRI technique known as magnetic resonance neurography or MRN. This is a farily new adjustment, not done at all centers, of the MRI protocol using magnetic wave passes designed to look at nerves more closely and selectively,and this seems to create more detailed images of nerve structures than was previously possible.

We've had a few discussions about MRN here that you can search up--this article, though technical, gives a pretty good idea what it involves:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3622412/

Hi Glenn,

Thanks for this. I'm aware of MRN and the protocol for it thanks to En Bloc teaching me all about it recently, but the study or technique referred to in the article/study and in my post is something completely different as I explain. It has to do with signs of DRG damage via a cervical MRI. More precisely, I'm looking for help interpreting my cervical MRI in light of it. I'd be grateful, if you or anyone had knowledge on this front and could help me out.

Thanks again, and yes, you're discussions have been quite helpful. In fact, that's how I came to this little piece of information.