Thursday, May 5, 2011

Grading of Disc Related Nerve Root Compression (Pfirrmann et al)

  • Grade 0 (normal) - No compromise of the nerve root is seen. There is no evident contact of disk material with the nerve root, and the epidural fat layer between the nerve root and the disk material is preserved.
  • Grade 1 (contact) - There is visible contact of disk material with the nerve root, and the normal epidural fat layer between the two is not evident. The nerve root has a normal position, and there is no dorsal deviation.
  • Grade 2 (deviation) - The nerve root is displaced dorsally by disk material.
  • Grade 3 (compression) - The nerve root is compressed between disk material and the wall of the spinal canal; it may appear flattened or be indistinguishable from disk material.
 February 2004 Radiology, 230, 583-588.
 

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