Spinal Stenosis Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Spinal Stenosis is done through a process. First the medical history of the patient is checked, and then the doctor does a physical examination

After that other tests are carried out to confirm the results. The following are the tests carried out for diagnosis of Spinal Stenosis.

X-Ray – X-ray is used to diagnose Spinal Stenosis. X-rays are passed through your back to find out its condition. X rays can reveal the present condition of your back and the spinal cord. It will show any abnormality, signs of injury, tumor etc. The doctor can see the vertebrae and find out the problem in the patient. This is usually done before any other test. This, you can say, the preliminary test for diagnosis of Spinal Stenosis.

Computerized tomography (CT) scan – Radiation is used here again. But the results are better than X-rays. It uses more radiation. CT Scan produces detailed result about your back and any abnormality therein. A narrow beam of radiation produces cross-sectional images. It will show the doctor the shape and condition of the spinal canal. If there is any abnormality then the doctor will find out what is that.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) – This process is used for diagnosis of Spinal Stenosis. Here the results come in a series of cross sectional images. The doctor can also see the three dimensional view of your back. This is strong and so can show clearly various small parts of the spinal cord. It can show the doctor, the ligaments, the disks in the spinal cord, nerve spots, tumors, and enlargement of the areas in the spinal canal. A magnet is used in this test where it sends a signal and a scanner catches that signal. A computer analyses the results which are seen in the report.

EMG- EMG or Needle electromyogram is a test that has been used for a long time, which started during World War II. Now again today it is becoming popular. It may be more effective than MRI. It can find out Spinal Stenosis from other problems. Doctors can use it to differentiate the Spinal Stenosis problem of your back from other such problems like arthritis, peripheral nerve disease etc. It may be more accurate than some of the other tests used for diagnosis of Spinal Stenosis.

Myelogram – This is an advance technique. In this technique a special dye is used. The dye is injected into the patient’s spinal column. X-rays cannot pass through this dye and so it shows white colors. As the dye spread through the spinal cord and nerves, so they appear white in the X ray. The doctor can find out the spinal cord and the nerves and also the tumors, abnormal growth etc by seeing the X ray plate.

Bone scan – Bone scan is itself not complete. It is done along with other tests to diagnose Spinal Stenosis. In this test a radioactive material is injected into your vein. The radioactive material attaches to the bones. When the radioactive material emits radiation a gamma camera catches it. This is used for detection of abnormalities in the bones.