Automated signal intensity analysis of the spinal cord for detection of degenerative cervical myelopathy — a matched‑pair MRI study

This study introduces a new method for objectively measuring spinal cord signal intensity to aid in the diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). The current method relies on subjective assessment, leading to inconsistencies. The researchers used a fully automated process to quantify T2 signal intensity (T2-SI) from MRI scans of patients with DCM and healthy volunteers. This involves automatically segmenting the spinal cord using a trained computer algorithm. The study found that the variability in T2-SI was significantly higher in DCM patients compared to healthy volunteers. This new method shows potential for more objective DCM diagnosis and treatment planning.

• 1
  The T2-SI curves of patients with T2 hyperintensities showed significantly higher signal variability compared to matched healthy controls, as reflected by standard deviation and range.
• 2
  The T2 myelopathy index (T2-MI), representing the percentage of T2-SI range from the mean, was significantly higher in T2-positive segments compared to controls.
• 3
  ROC analysis indicated excellent differentiation between DCM patients and healthy volunteers for all three parameters: standard deviation, range, and T2-MI.