Melbourne Radiology Clinic
Ground Floor
Suite 3-6, 100 Victoria Parade
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Ph: 03 9667 1667
Fax: 03 9667 1666

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Adult MRI Series – Cervical spine: radiculopathy

MRI Gallery - GP Referred & Medicare Eligible MRI Scans

Adult MRI Series:
Cervical Spine – Radiculopathy

Patients presenting with arm pain may present with mixed clinical signs that can make it difficult to distinguish whether the pain is local in its origin or indeed arising from the cervical spine.

In these clinical scenarios, an MRI of the cervical spine reliably demonstrates any intervertebral disc pathology compressing nerves, as well as any lesion within or surrounding the spinal cord that has potential to account for the patient’s symptoms. The most frequent diagnosis encountered on MRI is that of a disc herniation resulting in direct compression of a spinal nerve. When this corresponds with the clinical findings, for example matching the dermatomal distribution with the patient’s symptoms, then the diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of MRI is high.

MRI is the main modality utilised in the assessment of cervical radiculopathy, particularly fluid sensitive sequences, known as T2 weighted imaging, which have the ability to visualise bone, disc, ligaments, cerebrospinal fluid, spinal nerves and the cord.

MRI serves as a roadmap for performing any proposed intervention, including radiological guided injections (typically a CT guided foraminal injection of corticosteroid) that may assist in the relief of patient’s symptoms, should the patient not respond to conservative measures. An injection can be particularly useful in the acute setting where the patient is experiencing severe and unrelenting pain.

MRI scans of the cervical spine that are eligible for the Medicare rebate referred by GPs are bulk billed at Melbourne Radiology Clinic..

Figure 3. Sagittal T2 weighted (fluid sensitive) sequence of the cervical spine demonstrates a C5/6 disc bulge contacting the spinal cord (arrow) in a patient presenting with radiculopathy.

Figure 4. Axial CT intervention image demonstrates a spinal needle in the right C5/6 neural foramen (arrow) in order to alleviate the patient’s symptoms of right sided C6 radiculopathy.

MBS Item Description

Referral by a medical practitioner (excluding a specialist or consultant physician) for a MRI scan of spine for a patient 16 years or older for suspected:

  • cervical radiculopathy
GP Referred

BULK-BILLED

Adult MRI – Clinical Case Examples.