Lumbar Spine Spondylosis

www.columbiaspine.org/.../low_back_pain.html

This is an MRI imaging showing spondylosis of the lumbar spine with multiple levels of disc bulging and degeneration. Spondylosis is a degenerative disorder that may cause loss of normal spinal structure and function. It can cause spinal nerve root or cord compression. This is ofter caused from disc herniation or formation of osteophytes. It's primarily caused from aging. It ofter effects people over the age of 40. It most commonly causes pain and morning stiffness. It may also cause leg pain, motor deficit, and bladder disfunction. It can be diagnosed by doing xrays, MRI, or CT. Surgery can be done to correct spinal deformity. Sometimes therapy and spinal injections are used to help manage the pain.

Metastases of the Thoracic Spine

http://clinicalcases.blogspot.com/2004/06/prostate-cancer-with-bone-metastases.html. This an MRI image of a patients T-spine that has bone mets. The spine is the third most common site for cancer cells to metastases. 70% of symptomatic lesions are found in the thoracic region. Metastases is more common the men that woman. There is a median survival rate of about 10 months. 90% of the patients present with back pain followed by radicular pain. 50% of these have sensory and motor dysfunction, and more than 50% have bowel and bladder dysfunction. Xray, MRI, CT, and Nuclear Medicine bone scan can be used to diagnosis mets. There has been no treatment found to increase the life expectancy in patients with spinal metastases. The main goal is to control the patients pain.

Cervical Spinal Stenosis

www.eorthopod.com/public/patient_education/64... This image is showing cervical spinal stenosis at the area of C5-6. Spinal stenosis is when the spinal canal is narrowed and compresses the spinal cord and nerves. This is usually due to age causing spinal degeneration. It can also be caused by disc herniation, osteoporosis, a tumor, spondylosis, or calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. Cervical spinal stenosis causes radicular pain, upper extremity numbness and/or weakness, sensory deficits, and reflex abnormalities. This can be diagnosed using preferably MRI or CT if unable to get a MRI. Mild cases can be treated with physical therapy and use of a cervical collar. Severe cases my require laminectomy, hemilaminectomy, or decompression.

Carotid Stenosis

http://brainavm.oci.utoronto.ca/malformations/Carotid_stenosis_index.htm This is a image showing carotid stenosis. Carotid stenosis is narrowing of the carotid arteries. These are the main arteries that supply blood to the brain. Carotid artery stenosis is also known as carotid artery disease. This is the most common form of stroke. This narrowing is caused by a build up of plaque in the inner lining of the artery. To diagnosis this a doctor may hear abnormal sounds when listening to the artery. It can also be diagnosed by using US, CT, or MRI. This can be treated by a surgical procedure called a carotid endartectomy. It removes the plaque causing the stenosis. A carotid angioplasty could also be performed. It uses balloons or stents to open the vessel.

Lipoma of the Neck

This is a image of a young man with a large lipoma of the neck. It can be seen just by look at this mans neck. The other image is a axial CT scan of the mans neck. The lipoma shows up large and black. http://www.ghorayeb.com/NeckLipoma.html. Lipomas are benign soft tissue tumors that can appear in various body organs. They vary in size and have a soft rubber feel and are painful to touch usually. The most common place for lipomas is in the neck. These types of tumors are superficial subcutaneous lipomas. They occur more frequently in woman than men and in overweight people. No one really knows why lipomas occur. They are usually inherited. They can be treated by surgical removal or liposuction.

Vein of Galen Malformations

This image is a coronal image of a MRI head showing a large central vein of Galen malformation with moderate degree of hydrocephalus.http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic538.htm. Galen malformations are when capillaries that normally slow blood flow and allow oxygen exchange with surrounding tissues are missing. This allows the blood to flow directly from arteries into the veins without slowing down. This rush of blood goes almost directly to the heart, overwhelming it. This can lead to congestive heart failure. This is most often seen in infants who experience rapid heart failure. In some cases a child may develop hydrocephalus because the malformation blocks the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid. The most effective treatment is embolization rather than surgery. After a successful embolization patients can go on to lead full and active lives. If untreated this can cause problems with mental development resulting in retardation or even death.

Angiofibroma

This is a coronal CT image showing a angiofibroma. The lesion is filling the left nasal cavity and ethmoid sinus, blocking the maxillay sinus, and causes the septum to deviate to the right. This image is from http://www.emedicine.com/ENT/topic470.htm. A angiofibroma is a benign vascoformative tumor occuring mostly is adolescent males. These tumors contain testosterone receptors and may grow during testosterone administration. Angiofibromas arise from the wall of the nasal cavity. The symptoms depend on the size and location of the tumor. The tumor can cause periodic nosebleeds, facial swelling, nasal congestion, hyponasal speech, or otorrhea. The tumor is diagnosed by having a CT scan, MRI scan, or a sinus xray. They can be treated by surgically removing them or radiation treatments if it extends into the cranium.