Applicability of Assessing Narrowing of Spinal Canal Using Quantitative Analysis of CSF Flow

Abstract

This study evaluated an assessment tool for spinal canal stenosis by analyzing the speed and flow volume of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients suffering from spinal canal stenosis, a representative chronic spinal disease. Twenty patients diagnosed with spinal canal stenosis from 1 November 2007 to 29 February 2008 were selected. Twenty applicants without a medical history or abnormalities in a psychological test were selected as the comparison group. The results showed that the change in the speed and flow volume of the CSF in the T-spine 4-5 and L-spine 1-2 and 4-5 levels was lower in the test group than that in the comparison group. On the other hand, the mean flow volume in the test group was higher in both directions than that of the comparison group.