부산대학교 도서관

Background. Cervical spine pathology is becoming increasingly prevalent with an aging world population and is associated with significant morbidity, affecting all areas of the world and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the modality of choice for a detailed evaluation of cervical spine pathologies. This study aimed at documenting the MRI findings and socio-demographic details of patients presenting with cervical spine pathologies in Rivers State, Nigeria. Materials and method. This was a prospective, cross-sectional study involving 91 patients (n=91) diagnosed with cervical spine pathologies on MRI. Data used for this study were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results. The majority of patients were male (63.7%) and between the ages of 20-39 years of age (41.8%). The mean age of the sample included in this study was 52.16 ± 13.2 years. The majority (34.1%) had cervical spondylosis. Majority (n=40/43.96%) presented with Nurick grade I. There were no statistically significant relationships between the Nurick grades (0: X2 = 30.9, p = 0.073; I: X2 = 26.3, p = 0.134; II: X2 = 24.5, p = 0.962 and IV: X2 = 18.6, p = 0.086) and gender. Conclusion. Cervical spine pathologies are numerous and common among young adult males. The commonest of these pathologies is spondylosis with a predilection for C5 vertebra. Nurick grade I disability is the most common in terms of the Nurick grading scores of disabilities arising from cervical pathologies and is independent of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]