Hello details are my brother mri result. i need to know the risk fator of a surgery and options he has. mri cervical spine: findings: - normal alignment with straightening of the cervical curve. - c4/c5 & c6/c7 posterioc disc herniator with marginal osteo

There : There is compression of the cervical spinal cord and neural foraminae, therefore the patient most likely needs surgery. Once there is compression on the spinal cord, there can be catastrophic consequences without surgery. Please be sure that the patient sees a neurosurgeon or spinal orthopedic surgeon immediately. If the patient had numbness or weakness then they must go to the er.

Treatment : Treatment depends on your brother's symptoms. Myelopathy (my·e·lop·a·thy) is deterioriation of the spinal cord. Of all the spinal conditions that i treat, myelopathy is the most likely to be previously misdiagnosed. Patients with cervical myelopathy often present with vague complaints and have not been accurately diagnosed. Some “vague” complaints include “trouble walking”, “my legs feel weak”, “my legs feel numb”, “electric shocks” in the back, diffuse back pain, “i drop things”, “my hands feel stiff or like i'm wearing gloves”. Many patients will not complain of neck pain at all. Some patients will use a cane or walker. Problems with fine motor skills such as buttoning buttons, handling coins, and handwriting is a common complaint. Global numbness or paresthesias (tingling) in the arms may be noted. Hip and thigh weakness may result in trouble rising from a chair. Physical exam gait examination is sensitive for detecting myelopathy. Look for a wide-based gait or difficulty performing a heel-to-toe tightrope gait. Romberg test (loss of balance while standing with eyes closed and arms outstretched) can abnormal in myelopathy. Neck range of motion may be limited. An electric shock-like sensation down the center of the back following flexion of the neck (lhermitte's sign) may indicate spinal cord compression. Weakness or sensory changes may be found, but are often nonspecific. Decreased vibratory sensation may indicate posterior-columns dysfunction. Atrophy of the hand or shoulder musculature may be seen in severe cases of myelopathy. Fasciculation in the upper-extremity muscles may be present. Hyperreflexia in both the upper and the lower extremities is often present, although foraminal stenosis in the cervical or lumbar spine may result in an absent reflex. Other long-tract signs include the inverted radial reflex (finger flexion instead of a brachioradialis reflex), clonus and positive babinski and hoffmann reflexes. Tretment cervical immobilization may be tried, but is usually not beneficial except in cases of instability.. In cases of moderate and severe melopathy with documented progression, surgery is indicated. The goal of surgery is to decompress the spinal cord. This may be done from the front by removing disks and part of the vertebral body, from the back by removing the lamina, or both.