Impact of whole spine screening and role of radiologist in taking axial cuts at suspected tandam pathology while doing whole spine screening in the same setting

Abstract

Purpose: Determines the prevalence of incidental findings (IF) which need attention or concurrent treatment i.e. meaningful coexisting spine lesion (MCSL) reported in the MRI’s with spinogram. Determine role of radiologist in providing axial cut at same time in tandem lesions. Also determine what percentage of treating clinician order a spine MRI without a spinogram. Methodology: It is a retrospective analytic study carried out at Department of spine surgery in our institution. Accumulation of data from two MRI centres (A and B) of city done from 1st Jan 2018 to 30thSeptember 2019.We blind the identity of all MRI centres as well as the referring clinicians. Of those clinician ordering only regional MRI were counted. MRI centre ‘A’ routinely providing us axial cuts of tandem pathologies of MCSL apart from dedicated area along with whole spine screening in same setting. All number of such reports counted and compared with reports of MRI centre ‘B’ who doing repeat MRI at tandem lesions when we advised only. All the MRIs reports segregate between MRIs with spinogram and only regional or area specific MRI study. Around 2000 MRI films were studied Statistical analysis of data carried out to determine the prevalence of incidental findings of coexisting spine lesion in MRI’s spinogram. Data was analysed using chi square test to determine the correlation between the findings, P value