Patient symptom information enhances MRI accuracy for lumbar spine diagnosis

Understanding a affected person’s signs helps radiologists in lumbar spine MRI interpretation and analysis, in line with a examine printed immediately in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

MRI is crucial imaging examination in sufferers with again ache or sciatica as a result of it reveals practically all degenerative and structural abnormalities of the spine.

Nevertheless, MRI typically reveals spinal abnormalities in people who shouldn’t have signs. As a result of the identical abnormalities can happen in each symptomatic and asymptomatic people, it’s unattainable to differentiate an incidental MRI discovering from the true explanation for ache by solely wanting on the MRI.

To diagnose the true explanation for ache, it’s important to match the MRI abnormalities with sufferers’ signs. Since radiologists could not have entry to detailed, high-quality symptom data on the time of MRI interpretation, their stories often listing all of the spinal abnormalities with out specifying the one probably inflicting signs.

MRI exams of the lumbar spine typically present many degenerative abnormalities. Most of those are incidental findings that don’t trigger ache. To diagnose the true ache turbines and make the very best therapy selections, signs have to be matched with MRI abnormalities.”

William E. Palmer, M.D., examine writer, division chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology at Massachusetts Basic Hospital (Mass Basic) in Boston

Sufferers at Mass Basic full a brief symptom questionnaire previous to their lumbar spine MRI. They reply questions concerning the severity of their ache, the place it’s situated, what makes it worse, and what makes it higher.

“The questionnaire is vital as a result of it obtains symptom data immediately from sufferers and communicates it to radiologists on the time of lumbar spine MRI interpretation,” Dr. Palmer mentioned.

Dr. Palmer and colleagues sought to find out precisely how helpful patient-reported symptom data is on the time of MRI interpretation.

For this potential, multi-reader examine, the investigators included a complete of 240 Mass Basic sufferers who accomplished a symptom questionnaire previous to their lumbar spine MRI.

Musculoskeletal radiologists starting from 2 to 24 years of expertise alternated the studying of MRIs with or with out symptom data from the questionnaire. Their diagnoses have been then in comparison with the diagnoses of spine specialists, who carried out face-to-face interviews with sufferers to make their assessments and resolve on therapies.

Radiologists who had entry to questionnaire data throughout MRI interpretation achieved a close to statistically good settlement with spine specialists.

MRI interpretations with out patient-reported symptom data resulted in a big lower in diagnostic accuracy and confidence. The questionnaire helped to keep away from diagnostic discrepancies between radiologists and spine specialists.

“By distinguishing actionable ache turbines from incidental findings, radiologists can greatest assist major care physicians who rely upon MRI stories to information their therapies and referrals,” Dr. Palmer mentioned.

“Affect of Affected person-reported Symptom Info on the Interpretation of MRI of the Lumbar Backbone.” Collaborating with Dr. Palmer have been Rene Balza, M.D., Sarah F. Mercaldo, Ph.D., Ambrose J. Huang, M.D., Jad S. Husseini, M.D., Mohamed Jarraya, M.D., F. Joseph Simeone, M.D., and Joao R. T. Vicentini, M.D.