Usefulness of MRI in the preoperative diagnosis of cervical disk herniation.

We investigated the preoperative diagnostic value of MRI, myelography, and CT myelography (CTM) in a retrospective analysis of 17 patients (15 men and two women) who were surgically treated for cervical disk herniation. Their ages ranged from 29 to 63 years, with a mean of 49 years. Anterior interbody fusion using iliac bone grafts was performed following microscopic diskectomy in all patients. MRI, myelography, and CTM were performed in 13 patients, while four patients were operated on after MRI alone. Neurological improvement was observed in all 17 patients after the surgery. MRI proved useful for determining the level of symptomatic cervical disk herniation. Surgery can be carried out on the basis of MRI findings alone when there is disk herniation at a single level which corresponds with the patient's symptoms and signs.