Mri findings in spinal cord injury patients who have respiratory distress

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to determine the prognostic capability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in the acute phase. The overall management of SCI patients is a prime consideration, and special precautions are required when the patient has respiratory distress. Twelve patients with a complete cervical injury accompanied by respiratory distress were examined by MRI, and a correlation of the MRI findings and the respiratory problems were investigated. In three cases with severe respiratory distress, the SCI was present above the C4-5 level, and MRI showed a high signal intensity at the upper C3. The severity of the respiratory failure was well correlated with the upper margin of the high signal intensity on T2-weighted images. © 1994 International Medical Society of Paraplegia.