What am I looking for

[lu7997]

Anyone know what I should be looking for in the lumbar MRI?   I know they are checking for tethered chord. But I am really unsure of what this would look like.  


I know I will here from the doc. But I am curious person. And was just wondering

[selmaS]

Hi...sorry...but if u get the report b4 u see the dr u at least know what specific items to see if they r mentioned on the report findings.

Sorry.....

"selma"

[lu7997]

Well all I see is a white area that goes down tonthe sacrum curve and than a thick black are in the middle which sorta spider webs at the bottom at around L3 maybe.  And than there is a very small whiter are in the midle of the black from L1 to just about L2. But not sure if that is normal.    


I am really wishing I would have paid more attention in radiologicL studies in school.  But they weren't emphasized heavily for boards so I balanced time between cardiac and pulmanology

[selmaS]

BTW- does ur conus end lower than normal...it is a sign as well as ur brain stem being elongated.
from a report by TCI-
TCS can be due to a number of different factors, such as spina bifida or fatty deposits, but recently much attention has been paid to the role that the filum terminale plays in tethered cord.  The filum terminale is a fibrous thread which connects the very bottom of the spinal cord to the coccyx bone.  If the filum terminale is unusually thick, or tight, it can essentially place the spinal cord in traction and pull it down.  For children, as their spinal cords grow, they will be pulling up on an anchor that is too strong.
     Because the cord is mechanically pulled down, TCS can often be seen on an MRI, which shows that the conus - a lower section of the spinal cord - is abnormally low relative to the bony vertebra.  Specifically, the conus is usually located at the L1/L2 level, and MRI evidence that it is lower than this is a strong indication of tethered cord.  If a cord is tethered due to the filum terminale, the surgery to correct it is fairly simple; the filum terminale is cut, or sectioned, and the tension on the cord is released.

The researchers did find, however, that the TCS group, on average, had elongated brainstems, wider foramen magnums, and downward displacement of the hindbrain.

[selmaS]

TC is not always visible on a MRI...but, if u have a cyst in  the tail bone area and exhibit symptoms u may be dx'd with Tethered cord occulta...meaning it was hidden.

I wish I could upload my MRI.......mine can be seen.

here r other links to jpegs-
http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1C1CHME_enUS352US371&q=MRI+of+tethered+cord&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1030&bih=670