Question | Answer |
Ankylosing Spondylitis | inflammatory condition beginning in the sacroiliac joints and progresses up the vertebral column, spine may become rigid |
Compression Fracture | superior and inferior surfaces of the vertebral body are driven together producing a wedge shaped vertebra, rarely causes a neurologic deficit |
Chance Fracture | results from hyperflexion force that causes a fracture through the vertebral body and posterior elements; patients who wear lap-type seat belts are at risk |
Herniated Nucleus Pulposus | occurs most frequently at L4-L5, causing sciatica; "slipped disk" |
Sciatica | irritation of the sciatic nerve that passes down the posterior leg |
Metastases | malignant neoplasms that spread to distant sites via blood and lymphatics |
Osteolytic | destructive lesions with irregular margins |
Osteoblastic | proliferative bony lesions of increased density |
Spondylolisthesis | forward movement of one vertebra in relation to another, due to a developmental defect in the pars interarticularis; most common at L5-S1 but also accurs at L4-L5; severe cases require a spinal fusion |
Spondylolysis | dissolution of a vertebra and seperation of the pars interarticularis; on an oblique projection, the Scottie dogs neck appears broken; most common in L4-L5 |
Which modality is useful for evaluating the vertebral column? | CT |
CT is useful for detecting... | fractures, disk disease, and neoplastic disease |
The modality used to evaluate soft tissue structures such as the spinal cord is.. | MRI |
Nuclear Medicine dectects... | metastases, inflammatory condistions, Pagets disease, neoplastic processes, and osteomyelitis |
What is Bone Densitometry? | noninvasive measurement of bone mass; lumbar spine is often assessed |
Difference between Bone Densitometry and Conventional radiography. | Bone Densitometry is accurate to within 1% and very low radiation skin dose. Conventional doesn't detect loss of bone until bone mass has been reduced by 30%. |
What is Myelography? | injection of contrast medium into the subarachnoid space to visualize soft tissue structures of the spinal canal |
What other modalities have reduced the use of Myelograms? | CT and MRI |