Clinical anatomy of cervical spondylosis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the anatomical alterations in complementary tests (MRI and EMG) in patients with cervicobrachialgia according to sex and age. Retrospective study of 184 patients with cervicobrachialgia who underwent cervical MRI and EMG. The variables analyzed were gender, age, elements of spondylosis (osteophytes, arthropathy, spondylolisthesis and canal stenosis), the type of disc disease (protrusion and herniated disc) and curvature in the sagittal plane. The EMG was used to evaluate the neurogenic findings in the muscles dependent on the spinal roots of C4 to C8-T1. Average age was 53.65±11.96 years. The patients were evaluated for the presence of osteophytes (n = 111), arthropathy (n = 76), spondylolisthesis (n = 15) and stenosis of the spinal canal (n = 35). The highest incidences were osteophytes in C5-C6 (n=108), protrusions in C5-C6 (n=58), herniated disc in C5-C6 (n=18) and neurogenic findings in C7 (n=130). The rectification of cervical lordosis appeared in 124 patients. Spondylosis increases with age. Disc herniations, disc protrusions and motor radiculopathy are more frequent in the 5th to 6th years of life. In patients with cervicobrachialgia, the sagittal rectification is more common than the normal lordosis.