Abstract #0849

Assessing Structure and Function of Myelin in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Evidence of Focal Demyelination in the Dorsal Column

Hanwen Liu¹, Erin MacMillan ¹, Emil Ljungberg¹, Burkhard Mädler², Shannon Kolind ¹, Marcel Dvorak¹, David Li¹, Alex MacKay¹, John Kramer¹, Cornelia Laule¹, and Armin Curt³

¹University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ²University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, ³Balgrist University, Zürich, Switzerland

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a major cause of spinal cord dysfunction. To better understand the pathophysiology underlying CSM, we used somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and myelin water imaging to study patients with CSM and healthy controls. Significant differences were found in the myelin water fraction (MWF) of the dorsal column between subjects classified as normal or pathological based on SSEPs. A strong correlation between tibial SSEP latency and MWF was found in CSM. Our findings suggest that MWF can monitor cervical spinal cord demyelination and may be a valuable tool to assess clinical interventions in spinal cord injury.

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