Question
Can you please help me understand my mri, I just had my 2nd surgery to my neck C6-7 and now am having trouble breathing and swallowing. My mri says C-2-C-3 central canal and foramentn are patent, C-3-C-4mild dosc bulge mildly flattens the ventrcal thecal sac. . C-4 C-5 mild left paracentral disc bulge minimally deforms the ventracal thecal sac.  C-5-C-6 central canal and foramen are patent. C-6-C-7 bilateral unicinate process hypertrophy resilts in minimal bilateral foraminal encroachment. C-7-T-1 central canal and foramen are patent.

Answer
Dear Lorna,

This is all about terminology.  Physicians/anatomists, etc... have their code of terminology and when you know what the words mean, you can understand the information, so lets define some terms.

C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7:  the numeration for the all the vertebra in the neck.  C1 is at the top of the neck just under the skull and C7 is at the bottom of the neck at the base of the upper back/shoulder.

Central canal:  area inside the vertebra where the spinal cord is located.

Foramen:  The word foramen means hole.  In the spine this indicates the little holes on both sides of the vertebral column where the nerve roots exit the spine.

Patent:  this means open, not constricted or blocked.  This term is used to describe the openness of arteries and foramen in the body as well as a few other structures.

Ventral:  means toward the front or toward the belly (front of the spinal cord in this sense)

Thecal sac:  the outer covering of the spinal cord which contains CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) and is composed of three layers (dura matter which is the outermost, arachnoid matter which is in the middle, and pia matter which is the innermost).

Uncinate process:  in the neck these are specialized processes that stick up on the outside (lateral) margins of the vertebra.  On a front to back x-ray of the neck they look like cat ears.

Hypertrophy:  means overgrowth of tissue...in the case in your spine it indicates degenerative changes to the bone.

Encroachment:  pressure into or onto an anatomical structure.

So, you basically have 2 disc bulges in the middle section of the neck which do press up against the front of the spinal cord covering (thecal sac) without specifically pressing on to the cord.  Additionally, you have degenerative changes to the uncinate processes in the lower portion of the neck....the rest of the report would be considered normal.  However this tells me nothing about the orientation of the neck curve or placement of the neck on the rest of the spine (things that are usually of no concern to medical doctors, but of important concern to chiropractic physicians).

Anyway, hope this helps Lorna.  If you would like more information, my website, www.suncoasthealthcare.net has more information on disc herniation and spinal anatomy with illustrations for appreciation.  There is also a glossary section fort any further clarification.

Respectfully,
Dr. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net