Cervical radiculopathy

Abstract

Cervical radiculopathy refers to any disease process that compromises the cervical nerve roots. This article briefly reviews the normal anatomy of the cervical spine and the clinical presentation of patients with radiculopathy. Emphasis is then placed on the magnetic resonance evaluation of these patients, with focus on degenerative disease, the most common cause of cervical radiculopathy. Dramatic improvements have been appreciated in the magnetic resonance pulse sequences because they have evolved from standard two-dimensional spin echo studies to a combination of two-dimensional spin echo and three-dimensional gradient echo acquisitions. More recently, the gradient study has been replaced by hybrid RARE sequences and may soon be supplanted by a three-dimensional version of this sequence with the advent of advanced gradient capabilities of newer magnetic resonance imaging systems.