Comparison of sagittal measurements of cervical spine in spondylosis patients between Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Radiograph

Background: Cervical spondylosis is the common degenerative disease of the vertebrae in adults which can lead to change in sagittal alignment of cervical spine. Radiograph and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are widely used imaging modalities for measuring the sagittal parameters. However sagittal parameters measured using radiograph and MRI can be influence by patient positioning and imaging technique. The study aims to compare sagittal parameters measured using MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and radiograph in cervical spondylosis patients. Methods: The study was done retrospectively. 77 patients who underwent both MRI and radiograph were included in the study. The sagittal parameters such as Neck Tilt (NT), T1 slope (T1S), thoracic inlet angle (TIA), C2-C7 angle (C2-C7A) and C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-C7 SVA) were measured on sagittal MRI and lateral cervical spine radiograph. Paired t-test was used to compare cervical sagittal measurements between MRI and radiography. Results: The cervical sagittal parameters such as NT, T1S, TIA and C2-7 SVA showed significant difference between MRI and radiograph (p < 0.05). But C2-C7A did not show significant difference (p > 0.05) Conclusion: The study concludes that MRI cannot be used as an alternative to cervical spine radiograph in spondylosis patient for measuring the sagittal balance as there was significant difference between sagittal parameters except C2-C7 A.