Pathophysiology and Grading of the Ventral Displacement of Dorsal Spinal Cord Spectrum

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of the ventral displacement of dorsal spinal cord (VDDSC) spectrum pathophysiology and grading. PURPOSE: This study aimed at examining the pathophysiology of VDDSC between D3 and D7, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlation and severity grading. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The pathologies that lead to VDDSC were previously discussed in various articles. We attempted to group these pathological conditions under a single spectrum, and grade them according to their severity. METHODS: We reviewed the MRI images of the dorsal spines of 1,350 patients over a period of 4 years (February 2013–February 2017); all MRI images were analyzed by two experienced radiologists. RESULTS: Of the 1,350 patients, 28 exhibited VDDSC between D3 and D7. Additional findings included ventral transdural herniation of the spinal cord (n=10), anterior spinal cord adhesion (n=7), arachnoid web (n=6), and arachnoid cyst (n=5). CONCLUSIONS: We grouped the pathologies that lead to VDDSC at the thoracic level into a single spectrum of varying severity and graded VDDSC, from mild to severe.