Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School Hannover; Hannover, Germany.
Ultrasound Q. 2020 Dec 9;38(1):49-52. doi: 10.1097/RUQ.0000000000000542.
Ultrasound (US) imaging of the spinal canal is applied in early infants before formation of posterior spine bony elements. Here, we demonstrate for the first time in adult healthy subjects that excellent visualization of intrathecal structures at the level of C1-C2 is possible by transcutaneous US in flexion, extension, and neutral head positions through the soft tissue US window between C1-C2. We show with US that the posterior subarachnoid space increases significantly in head extension. Accordingly, C1-C2 US guidance can facilitate cervical myelography. In addition, we suggest that US of the C1-C2 spine level may offer an adjunct tool to diagnosing structural abnormalities in the setting of traumatic, congenital, or degenerative pathologies of the craniocervical junction.
椎管的超声（US）成像适用于脊柱后部骨元素形成之前的早期婴儿。在这里，我们首次在成年健康受试者中证明，通过 C1-C2 之间的软组织 US 窗口，在屈曲、伸展和中立头部位置下，经皮 US 可极好地显示 C1-C2 水平的蛛网膜下腔结构。我们通过 US 显示，头部伸展时，后蛛网膜下腔明显增大。因此，C1-C2 US 引导可有助于颈椎脊髓造影。此外，我们建议，在颅颈交界区创伤性、先天性或退行性病变的情况下，C1-C2 脊柱水平的 US 可能提供一种辅助工具来诊断结构异常。
