Pontomedullary junction as a reference for spinal cord cross-sectional area: validation across neck positions.

ABSTRACT: Spinal cord cross-sectional area (CSA) is an important MRI biomarker to assess spinal cord atrophy in various neurodegenerative and traumatic spinal cord diseases. However, the conventional method of computing CSA based on vertebral levels is inherently flawed, as the prediction of spinal levels from vertebral levels lacks reliability, leading to considerable variability in CSA measurements. Computing CSA from an intrinsic neuroanatomical reference, the pontomedullary junction (PMJ), has been proposed in previous work to overcome limitations associated with using a vertebral reference. However, the validation of this alternative approach, along with its variability across and within participants under variable neck extensions, remains unexplored. The goal of this study was to determine if

SUBMITTER: Bedard S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10439961 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature