Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group What does this mean?

I have recently gotten a radiological report and I have no idea what some of it means. If anyone could help I would really appreciate it.
Some of the items I had a question about are listed below...

The report said that there is...
1) loss of normal cervical lordosis;
2) moderate narrowing of C5-6 intervertebral disk space with marginal spurs; (I understand about narrowing disk space but I am unclear about "spurs")
3) no evidence of subluxation;
4) early effusion of the posterior lamina of C2, 3 and 4.

It is so difficlt sometimes to understand all of the information that I am told about AS. I don't post often but I'm always reading and learning from this site. Thanks to everyone at this site for past present and future knowledge!

Stacey

Hi,

not a Dr but I'd understand this to mean,

1. Loss of the normal "Lordosis" the normal curves in the neck portion of the spine. a sign of injury or disease........

2. " Spurs" are a bony overgrowth/outgrowth usually expect them in and around the spine where the joints and the muscles meet......and anywhere else the disease has been or is, they can also be from compensation factors in the way you carry the neck (or other joints) etc because of the disease etc....

3. Sub laxation is a funny one it would describe minor changes in the joint which are described as mild dislocation, a chiro would say the areas are very tense and this is pulling the joint out of it's normal position or affecting the normal range of motion. often get local tendor spots where the areas are and the muscles nearby will be tight. I understand this to be a natural protection mechanism for an injury/affected part of the spine.

4. "Posterior" is back or rear, "lamina" is a thin portion of bone found in the vertabrae, "effusion" Accumulation of fluid (maybe swollen?), A collection of fluid in a body cavity, usually between two adjoining tissues.

hope this helps!

David

Edited by davo on 01/02/05 06:10 AM (server time).

Dear Stacey

To deal with my husband's AS, I went out and bought a little medical dictionary. The one we have is the Bantam Medical Dictionary , which has good drawings and clear , understandable explanations.($6.99 US) In case you dont already know, the spine is labelled as cervical, (neck area), thoracic, (chest) and lumbar (lower back/waist). When medical people want to describe what bone in the spine they are talking about, they will say C2, meaning the second cervical vertebrae. The counting starts at the top and goes down your back. So C3 is below C2.

Davo has already given a good explanation of your report. While the terms sound like techno-babble, its good to learn what they mean. Its the same as when your mechanic starts to talk about engine parts, or your boyfriend/husband starts to talk about the finer points of football/hockey/cricket/baseball/water polo, etc, etc.!!! Start slowly, learn the medical words for the bones in the back and you will be reading all this stuff easily in no time. And , just like the mechanic, nobody will be able to snow you,( or put inaccurate stuff in your medical records.)

If I follow my dictionary's meanings, your report could be summed up as your neck is starting to bend and fuse, typical of AS. My dear hubby is fused all up his back , but has kept his neck relatively flexible by several times a day turning it sideways as far as it will go.

I hope this helps. BlueNorthern