MRI features in the non-traumatic spinal cord injury patients presenting at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra.

BACKGROUND

Neurological limb deficit due to non-traumatic myelopathy is a disabling and distressing neurological condition. In recent time Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has proven to be the ultimate imaging modality for evaluating pathologies of the spinal cord.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) features of patients with Non-Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury evaluated at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra, Ghana.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 141 MRI's evaluated 60.3% were males and 39.7% female. The majority of the respondents 85.1% had paraparesis/paraplegia, 13.5% had quadriparesis/quadriplegia, 1.4% had weakness in one upper limb and both lower limbs. The commonest MRI features of NTSCI recorded was due to degenerative disease of the spine 75.9%, spinal metastases 5.7%, Pott's /pyogenic spondylitis 3.5%, demyelinating disease 2.8% and primary spinal tumours 2.8%.

CONCLUSION

The commonest MRI findings in the study population were due to degenerative disease of the spine, followed by spinal metastases and infective spondylitis.

FUNDING

Not declared.