Good Resource for Reading Spine MRIs

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fozzy40

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Does anyone know of any good resources (book, online, etc.) regarding how to interpret spine MRIs? I have been getting bits and pieces over the years from books, radiologists, spine physicians, and online resources.

I was consider paying for a NASS Online Course ($75 for residents) called MRI of the Spine: Essentials for the Spine Specialist.

Has anyone purchased this course? Worth it?
 
I would strongly suggest that you purchase an I-Pad II and build your library there. Once you do that you might look at Juergen Kraemer's MR Imaging of the Lumbar Spine. You can download a sample of the book for free.

Other APPs that you MUST have as spine/pain physician:

1. Anatomate-Apps: iSpine pain managment $90.00.
2. Anatomate-Apps: iSpine Operations $90.00
3. 3D 4 Medical Skeletal System Pro II
4. 3D 4 Medical Nervous System
5. 3D 4 Medical Images

*The current version of 3D 4 Medical Skeletal System Pro - the one on the I-Pad commercial - is
buggy on OS5. However, the company is working on another patch.
 
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If you are still a fellow can you grab some clinical time to sit in the film room with a neuroradiologist? Would be very helpful. I've never found atlases to be any help because they always the show the perfect view. They don't teach how to paw through 200 + slices of sag, axial, fat sat etc and find the gold.

I don't have any one great resource. Picked up bits and pieces as I went. When I was hospital based I would bring CD's down to radiology and have the radiologists review with me. Priceless.

Now I'm in outpatient clinic, but I have online access to imaging platform with local radiology groups so we can both have open films on our computers and discuss studies on the phone.

Honestly those guys always sound thrilled to talk with someone when I call
🙂
 
Wow! These apps seem amazing, thanks! I haven't pulled the trigger yet as I will try to get these through educational funds.

Any other medical apps that should live on my iPad?
 
drf said:
Wow! These apps seem amazing, thanks! I haven't pulled the trigger yet as I will try to get these through educational funds.

Any other medical apps that should live on my iPad?
Click to expand...

3D 4 Medical's Muscle System Pro II
 
books are fine --- but get boring - and tend to show big pathologies...

best education? carve out an elective during your fellowship for 2-4 weeks sitting w/ neuro-rads...

i read all MRIs that are brought into the office, but I still bring 2-4 each week to my rad guy to discuss over lunch --- over the last 2-3 years, I am starting to feel like i can read the spine MRIs better than the neuro-rads guy.
 
Read every one of the MRIs you order, before you read the radiologist's report. Then see what they say.

When you can say the same things they say 90% of the time, you are doing well.

We need the rads for the other 10%. 😀
 
It is nice when you can catch when they dictate the wrong side, or wrong level.

I am always skeptical of these reports, especially when I see a lumbar MRI talking about C4-5 disc herniation.
 
not only do i read the imaging on my own - i also go over the imaging in detail with all the patients that I see... the patients love it, and i sometimes pick up things by re-reviewing it with the patient that rads or I may have missed previously.

however, the first thing I tell every patient when I review their imaging (most of the time)

"Your MRI looks quite good - I don't see any evidence of cancer, fracture, infection or anything that requires surgery" ... then i pause, and you can see the patient actually relax and look quite relieved by this...

it does piss me off when the patient comes in and asks me to show them their 3 bulging discs, their 2 ruptured discs and their severe stenosis....
 
Not as much as it pisses me off when they tell me "I'm here for my L4/5 herniated disc and my degenerating spine" but don't bring me the films or reports or remember then name of the doctor that told them they had a degenerating spine.

Then they ask me "So what do YOU think of my L4/5 disc?" Like I can see it with my x-ray eyes.
 
Jitter Bug said:
Not as much as it pisses me off when they tell me "I'm here for my L4/5 herniated disc and my degenerating spine" but don't bring me the films or reports or remember then name of the doctor that told them they had a degenerating spine.

Then they ask me "So what do YOU think of my L4/5 disc?" Like I can see it with my x-ray eyes.
Click to expand...

Similar to when they are here to see me for "bulging disks."

Or the guy in to see me today with non-radiating, purely axial pain x 7 years. 5 times he said "So my pain is coming from pinched nerves?" 5 times I told him no.
 
Tenesma said:
not only do i read the imaging on my own - i also go over the imaging in detail with all the patients that I see... the patients love it, and i sometimes pick up things by re-reviewing it with the patient that rads or I may have missed previously.
Click to expand...

👍 +1
 
PMR 4 MSK said:
Similar to when they are here to see me for "bulging disks."

Or the guy in to see me today with non-radiating, purely axial pain x 7 years. 5 times he said "So my pain is coming from pinched nerves?" 5 times I told him no.
Click to expand...

And my f/u to this pt. He called a few days ago, saying the tramadol wasn't helping his pain. Asked specifically for diazepam. This was 2 days after he no-showed his f/u appt.
 
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