help understanding MRI

C4-5 Broad based central disc protrusion indents the ventral thecal sac with disc material abutting the ventral surface of the cord. Mild spinal stenosis with AP diameter of the canal measuring 10.0 mm. Ample CSF space is preserved dorsal to the cord. There is no neural foraminal stenosis.

Impression: 1 Small broad based disc protrusion at C4-5 with mild spina stenosis as described.

Report: Included images of the cervical spine demonstrate mild degenerative disc disease at C4-5

T5-6 Small right paracentral disc protrusion indents the right ventral half of the cord. No significant spinal stenosis or neural foraminal stenosis.

The Lumbar spine without contrast - No significant lumbar spinal stenosis. Mild lumbar facet arthropathy.

According to the MRI report the rest of the spine seems fine.

Any thoughts?

Who ordered this MRI??  If you have the report, so does the ordering doctor, who should at least have the courtesy to share his views with you.  Sorry, doctors are not high on my list this week.....

I'm not a radiologist, and I don't know what symptoms prompted the MRI, but a disc protrusion into your spinal cord is not a good thing.  However, it could be entirely asymptomatic.  Stenosis is the medical term for a narrowing of the spaces in the spine where nerves travel through.  Therefore, a mild stenosis could represent impingement of a nerve root.  The "broad based disc protrusion" at C4-5 could cause impingement as well, and probably cause neck, shoulder, arm, or hand pain, or all of the above. 

I suggest you call your doctor's office and ask someone to explain this to you.  However, I applaud your effort to decipher it yourself and get advice from this forum.  I just recently found out that an MRI I had 3 years ago showed a small disc protrusion at L4-5, although my doctors reported it to me as a "clean" report.  Most people have some small "imperfections" that show on an MRI, so many docs dismiss any "small" protrusions, stenosis, etc., as normal.  However, research clearly shows there is no correlation between the size of a disc bulge/protrusion/herniation and the amount of pain it causes.  Very small bulges can cause excruciating pain and disability, while complete herniations remain asymptomatic.  Needless to say, I have been suffering in chronic pain ever since, and required another MRI and a discography to properly diagnose me. 

Hang in there, learn all you can, make your doc explain everything in detail to you, and seek out the best specialists you can find.  Good luck and God Bless.

Anon 

Jonathan, you have a nearly-bulging disc around the middle of your neck (C4-5) and it has caused some scarring (stenosis) around the spinal cord. You also have a nearly-bulging disc near the middle of your back, around the shoulder blades (T5-6) that has not caused any scarring. It seems possible that you have had the disc problem in your neck for some time, and that the one in your back is relatively newer. You have some mild arthritis in your lower back. It seems remarkable that someone your age would have these issues with their spine, as it does not usually occur until at least middle age.