Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37386202›Full record

ArticleNeuroradiology2023

Automated signal intensity analysis of the spinal cord for detection of degenerative cervical myelopathy - a matched-pair MRI study.

Marc Hohenhaus, Jan-Helge Klingler, Christoph Scholz, Florian Volz, Ulrich Hubbe, Jürgen Beck, Marco Reisert, Urs Würtemberger, Nico Kremers, Katharina Wolf

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuroradiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. A study of examinations and surgical determinants of degenerative cervical myelopathy: the relationship between mri quantifications and motor evoked potentials.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Marc HohenhausDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. marc.hohenhaus@uniklinik-freiburg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8743-3161
Jan-Helge KlinglerDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Christoph ScholzDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Florian VolzDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Ulrich HubbeDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Jürgen BeckDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Marco ReisertDepartment of Radiology, Medical Physics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Urs WürtembergerDepartment of Neuroradiology, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Nico KremersDepartment of Neuroradiology, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Katharina WolfDepartment of Neurology, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
University of Freiburg · DE

Funding

Deutsche Wirbelsäulenstiftung 2017
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeDetection of T2 hyperintensities in suspected degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is done subjectively in clinical practice. To gain objective quantification for dedicated treatment, signal intensity analysis of the spinal cord is purposeful. We investigated fully automated quantification of the T2 signal intensity (T2-SI) of the spinal cord using a high-resolution MRI segmentation.

methodsMatched-pair analysis of prospective acquired cervical 3D T2-weighted sequences of 114 symptomatic patients and 88 healthy volunteers. Cervical spinal cord was segmented automatically through a trained convolutional neuronal network with subsequent T2-SI registration slice-by-slice. Received T2-SI curves were subdivided for each cervical level from C2 to C7. Additionally, all levels were subjectively classified concerning a present T2 hyperintensity. For T2-positive levels, corresponding T2-SI curves were compared to curves of age-matched volunteers at the identical level.

resultsForty-nine patients showed subjective T2 hyperintensities at any level. The corresponding T2-SI curves showed higher signal variabilities reflected by standard deviation (18.51 vs. 7.47 a.u.; p < 0.001) and range (56.09 vs. 24.34 a.u.; p < 0.001) compared to matched controls. Percentage of the range from the mean absolute T2-SI per cervical level, introduced as "T2 myelopathy index" (T2-MI), was correspondingly significantly higher in T2-positive segments (23.99% vs. 10.85%; p < 0.001). ROC analysis indicated excellent differentiation for all three parameters (AUC 0.865-0.920).

conclusionThis fully automated T2-SI quantification of the spinal cord revealed significantly increased signal variability for DCM patients compared to healthy volunteers. This innovative procedure and the applied parameters showed sufficient diagnostic accuracy, potentially diagnosing radiological DCM more objective to optimize treatment recommendation.

trial registrationDRKS00012962 (17.01.2018) and DRKS00017351 (28.05.2019).

Indexed as

Spinal Cord CompressionSpinal Cord DiseasesCervical VertebraeHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingProspective StudiesSpinal CordDegenerative cervical myelopathyMagnetic resonance imagingMyelopathy signSpinal cord segmentationT2 hyperintensity

Identifiers

PMID37386202
PMCPMC10497437
OpenAlexW4382601758

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.