Cornelia Putz1, Celine D Alt2, Cornelia Hensel3, Björn Wagner4, Simone Gantz5, Hans-Jürgen Gerner6, Norbert Weidner7, Lars Grenacher8. 1. Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: Cornelia.putz@med.uni-heidelberg.de. 2. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: celine.alt@med.uni-duesseldorf.de. 3. Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: cornelia.hensel@med.uni-heidelberg.de. 4. Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: bjoernwagner15@aol.com. 5. Department of Experimental Orthopaedics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: simone.gantz@med.uni-heidelberg.de. 6. Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: hj.gerner@urz.uni-heidelberg.de. 7. Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: Norbert.weidner@med.uni-heidelberg.de. 8. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: l.grenacher@diagnostik-muenchen.de.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: To investigate whether MR-defecography can be employed in sensorimotor complete spinal cord injury (SCI) subjects as a potential diagnostic tool to detect defecational disorders associated with neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) using standard parameters for obstructed defecation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a prospective single centre clinical trial, we developed MR-defecography in traumatic sensorimotor complete paraplegic SCI patients with upper motoneuron type injury (neurological level of injury T1 to T10) using a conventional 3T scanner. Defecation was successfully induced by eliciting the defecational reflex after rectal filling with ultrasonic gel, application of two lecicarbon suppositories and digital rectal stimulation. Examination was performed with patients in left lateral decubitus position using T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence in the sagittal plane at rest (TE 89ms, TR 3220ms, FOV 300mm, matrix 512×512, ST 4mm) and ultrafast-T2-weighted-sequence in the sagittal plane with repeating measurements (TE 1.54ms, TR 3.51ms, FOV 400mm, matrix 256×256, ST 6mm). Changes of anorectal angle (ARA), anorectal descent (ARJ) and pelvic floor weakness were documented and measured data was compared to reference values of asymptomatic non-SCI subjects in the literature to assess feasibility. RESULTS: MR-defecography provides evaluable imaging sequences of the induced evacuation phase in SCI patients. Measurement results for ARA, ARJ, hiatal width (H-line) and hiatal descent (M-line) deviate significantly from reference values in the literature in asymptomatic subjects without SCI. The overall mean values in our study for SCI patients were: ARA (rest) 127.3°, ARA (evacuation) 137.6°, ARJ (rest) 2.4cm, ARJ (evacuation) 4.0cm, H-line (rest) 7.6cm, H-line (evacuation) 8.1cm, M-line (rest) 2.6cm, M-line (evacuation) 4.2cm. CONCLUSIONS: MR-defecography is feasible in sensorimotor complete SCI patients. Individual MR-defecography findings may help to determine specific therapeutical options for respective patients suffering from severe NBD.
INTRODUCTION: To investigate whether MR-defecography can be employed in sensorimotor complete spinal cord injury (SCI) subjects as a potential diagnostic tool to detect defecational disorders associated with neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) using standard parameters for obstructed defecation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a prospective single centre clinical trial, we developed MR-defecography in traumatic sensorimotor complete paraplegic SCIpatients with upper motoneuron type injury (neurological level of injury T1 to T10) using a conventional 3T scanner. Defecation was successfully induced by eliciting the defecational reflex after rectal filling with ultrasonic gel, application of two lecicarbon suppositories and digital rectal stimulation. Examination was performed with patients in left lateral decubitus position using T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence in the sagittal plane at rest (TE 89ms, TR 3220ms, FOV 300mm, matrix 512×512, ST 4mm) and ultrafast-T2-weighted-sequence in the sagittal plane with repeating measurements (TE 1.54ms, TR 3.51ms, FOV 400mm, matrix 256×256, ST 6mm). Changes of anorectal angle (ARA), anorectal descent (ARJ) and pelvic floor weakness were documented and measured data was compared to reference values of asymptomatic non-SCI subjects in the literature to assess feasibility. RESULTS: MR-defecography provides evaluable imaging sequences of the induced evacuation phase in SCI patients. Measurement results for ARA, ARJ, hiatal width (H-line) and hiatal descent (M-line) deviate significantly from reference values in the literature in asymptomatic subjects without SCI. The overall mean values in our study for SCI patients were: ARA (rest) 127.3°, ARA (evacuation) 137.6°, ARJ (rest) 2.4cm, ARJ (evacuation) 4.0cm, H-line (rest) 7.6cm, H-line (evacuation) 8.1cm, M-line (rest) 2.6cm, M-line (evacuation) 4.2cm. CONCLUSIONS: MR-defecography is feasible in sensorimotor complete SCI patients. Individual MR-defecography findings may help to determine specific therapeutical options for respective patients suffering from severe NBD.
Authors: Neeraj Lalwani; Gaurav Khatri; Rania Farouk El Sayed; Roopa Ram; Kedar Jambhekar; Victoria Chernyak; Amita Kamath; Sara Lewis; Milana Flusberg; Francis Scholz; Hina Arif-Tiwari; Suzanne L Palmer; Mark E Lockhart; Julia R Fielding Journal: Abdom Radiol (NY) Date: 2021-04