Magnetc Resonance Imaging Localizaton of the Vertebral Level of Terminaton of the Spinal Cord in Adults in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria Mbaba AN 1 , Ogolodom MP 2* , Abam R 1 , Ijeruh OY 1 , Okpaleke MS 3 , Maduka BU 4 , Iwuagwu OC 5 1 Department of Radiology, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria 2 Rivers State Hospitals Management Board, Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria 3 Department of Radiography and Radiological Sciences Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State, Nigeria 4 Department of Medical Radiography and Radiological Sciences, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Nigeria 5 Radiology Department, Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria * Corresponding author: Michael Promise Ogolodom, Rivers State Hospitals Management Board, Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria, Tel: +23408039697393; E-mail: mpos2007@yahoo.com Received date: March 16, 2020; Accepted date: April 01, 2019; Published date: April 07, 2020 Citaton: Mbaba AN, Ogolodom MP, Abam R, Ijeruh OY, Okpaleke MS, et al. (2020) Magnetc Resonance Imaging Localizaton of the Vertebral Level of Terminaton of the Spinal Cord in Adults in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Arch Med Vol: 12 Iss: 2:5 Copyright: ©2020 Mbaba AN, et al. This is an open-access artcle distributed under the terms of the Creatve Commons Atributon License, which permits unrestricted use, distributon, and reproducton in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Background: A wide range of variaton in the terminaton of the spinal cord in normal adult populaton has been observed. Studies abound in foreign literature on the terminaton of the spinal cord but there is dearth of data concerning this subject in our environment. A good knowledge of the normal level of terminaton of the conus medullaris in our setng is imperatve in every day medical practce. Aim of the study: To determine the vertebral levels of terminaton of the spinal cord in living adult populaton in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria using MRI and to compare fndings with previous similar studies. Materials and Methods: A retrospectve cross-sectonal design was adopted in this study and was conducted in a single radio-diagnostc center with MRI scanner in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Review Commitee Board of the study center and the retrieved data were treated with utmost confdentality and used for the purpose of this study only. Both T1W and T2W mid sagital, spin-echo MR images were analyzed. The terminatons of the conus medullaris were identfed on sagital images and were defned as the most distal point of the cord that could be visualized on the sagital image. A line perpendicular to the long axis of the cord was drawn and extended to the adjacent vertebra. This locaton was recorded in relaton to the upper, middle, or lower third of the adjacent vertebral body or the adjacent intervertebral disc. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: Out of the 177 study populaton, greater numbers of the spinal cords terminated at middle third of L1 74 (males: 35 (36.47%) and females: 39 (48.75%)) as highest and the least terminated at the L3U, which is 1(male: 1(1.04%). Maximum numbers of the cases were within the age group 46-55 years old, 54 (Middle third of L1=29 (16.38%, upper third of L2=6(3.39%) and lower third of L2=4(2.26%) and the least were within the age group 15-25 years, which is 6 (middle third of L1=3 (1.69%), middle third of L2=I(1.04%) and T12/L1 disc=1(1.04%)). Conclusion: The average level of terminaton of the spinal cord in our study is at the middle third of L1 vertebral body. No gender diference in spinal cord terminaton. It is hoped that the fnding of this study will serve as a useful guide for medical practtoners in our setng. Keywords: Conus medularis; MRI; Terminaton Introducton The spinal cord is an important structure in humans and its caudal end is referred to as the Conus Medullaris (CM). The terminaton of the conus medullaris with respect to the vertebral level in normal populaton has been widely studied [1-5] and variatons in the terminaton of the spinal cord have also been documented [4]. Previous studies reported that the conus medullaris most commonly terminates at L1/2 intervertebral level in both children and adults [2,3,6]. However, it has been observed that terminaton of the spinal cord varies from mid-T11 to mid-L3 vertebral body levels and the average terminaton varies from study to study [2,3,6]. The positon of the conus medularis is defned as the most distal point of the cord and the factors that may afect the Research Article iMedPub Journals www.imedpub.com DOI: 10.36648/1989-5216.12.2.306 Archives of Medicine ISSN 1989-5216 Vol.12 No.2:5 2020 © Copyright iMedPub | This article is available from: http://www.archivesofmedicine.com/ 1