The role of history taking on accuracy of cervical or lumbar MRI reports

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of history on the accuracy of the lumbar or cervical MRI reports in patients with back and neck pain referring to the radiology department. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on patients with complaints of lumbar or neck pain that MRI had been performed for them. At first, the MRI were studied by the residents of the year two and three and then a radiologist as a routine, respectively. From 4 to 6 months later, patients' clinical history was presented to the same students and professors and MRI were re-reported. Statistical differences were evaluated and analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: Out of 150 patients with mean age of 10.65 ± 42.56, 87 patients (58%) were female and 63 (42%) were male. Most of the patients were between the ages of 40 and 50 years (34.66%). The most common clinical symptom of patients was waist and neck pain, followed by sensory disturbances of the extremities. The most pathologic changes found was disc bulging in 28.8% of patients (68 cases). In terms of lumbar canal stenosis, the most cases were in the L4-L5 levels of the moderate type. The most reported cases of cervical stenosis has been mild. Disc herniation and DOCP were two main factors causing canal stenosis in the study patients. Statistical difference in the MRI reports performed by the residents on most of the variables was statistically significant before and after knowing the clinical history of the patient (P <0.05). But this difference was less noted in the reports of the radiologists.