When a doctor wants to confirm a spondylolisthesis diagnosis for a patient, he or she will likely rely on one or more diagnostic imaging tools. Spondylolisthesis develops when one vertebra slips forward onto the vertebra below. Quite often, patients with vertebral slippage aren’t aware of it because neck or back pain never arises. As a matter of fact, in some cases, an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan ordered for an unrelated health problem reveals vertebral slippage to an unsuspecting patient.

So it comes as no surprise that diagnostic imaging tools are frequently used as a part of determining if a patient’s back pain is caused by spondylolisthesis. Whether the patient is experiencing stiffness and muscle spasms, or is exhibiting nerve compression symptoms of weakness, numbness, and tingling in the arms or legs, a doctor’s first choice for imaging will likely be an X-ray.

X-Rays

A German physicist named Wilhelm Conrad RÖntgen discovered what he called X-rays in 1895 as he experimented with passing electrical charges through cathode ray tubes. X-ray images are created when waves of electromagnetic energy are recorded on special film as they pass through the body’s tissues. Used to diagnose bone breakage and abnormalities, X-rays are the gold standard in diagnostic radiology and allow a doctor to identify most cases of vertebral slippage in the spine before confirming a spondylolisthesis diagnosis. Additional imaging studies such as a CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan may be necessary if the slippage is not clear enough on an X-ray or if there are is a need to hone in on a specific area of spinal damage, particularly if a doctor believes nerve compression is a factor.

CT Scans

CT was invented in the early 1970s by Godfrey Hounsfield and Allan Cormack, and was initially created to perform head scans, but full body systems followed shortly thereafter. CT scans are produced using a combination of X-ray equipment and advanced computers to generate multiple, cross-sectional images of the body’s interior. These scans offer a more detailed view of bones, organs, and tissues than regular X-rays images can provide. When it comes to ascertaining a spondylolisthesis diagnosis, a CT scan can easily identify vertebral slippage, changes in the facet joints, and healed or unhealed fractures or cracks in the pars interarticularis, which is the segment of bone that connects a vertebral body to its facet joint. Pars defects and fractures are a common cause of spondylolisthesis, especially in children.

MRI Scans

The first MRI scanners became available in the early 1980s, but Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell each completed successful magnetic resonance experiments in the late 1940s. An MRI scan uses a powerful magnetic field and radio frequencies instead of X-rays to generate crystal-clear, cross-sectional and 3-dimensional images of the body’s interior. This diagnostic imaging tool may not be as effective as a CT scan in generating details of the bone, but it is highly effective in detailing soft tissues and neural structures. As a result, an MRI scan may not only help a doctor confirm a spondylolisthesis diagnosis by visually detailing the slippage, but it can also highlight spinal cord or nerve root compression and/or the deterioration in a nearby intervertebral disc.

A doctor may use one or more of these diagnostic imaging methods not only to diagnose vertebral slippage, but also to properly formulate a treatment plan that will best benefit the patient and his or her recovery.

Author Bio: Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient procedures for the treatment of spondylolisthesis and several other spinal conditions.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: Spondylolisthesis