ROLE OF MRI IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CAUSES OF SPINAL STENOSIS AT LUMBOSACRAL REGION
Purpose. Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. MRI has become the most frequently used study to diagnose spinal stenosis. Aim of the study was to assess the beneficial role of MRI in evaluate and differentiation causes of spinal stenosis at lumbosacral spine. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was recruited patient lower back pain, it's launched in 1st August 2021 to 1st September 2022, in Department of Radiology. Collection of data based on well-defined questionnaire contain three parts. MRI was perform with a 1.5 Tesla systems (Achieva; Philips Medical Systems, the Netherlands) using a SENSE body coil. Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS 23. Result. The mean age of patients was 49.1±8.3 years, 55% of them in age group 40-60 years and 45% in age group 20-39 years. Male to female ratio was 1.3:1. The MRI findings, the stenosis was presented in 83.3% of patients of them 13.3% was mild stenosis and 70% was moderate stenosis. The spinal level of L4-L5 was the major region of stenosis in 50% of sample whereas the L2-L3 level 16% and L3-L4 26% of patients. Conclusion. MRI modality is a useful diagnostic option in evaluation of lumbosacral spinal stenosis, as it can describe appropriate variable pathological changes, such as disc degeneration.