Abstract: Objective To compare the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) between healthy people and patients with early cervical spi nal cord injury (SCI). Methods 18 patients with early cervical SCI and 5 healthy controls were examined with MRI T1WI, T2WI and DWI, and the ADC values and ADC maps were obtained. Results and Conclusion ADC values were less in the patients than in the healthy con trols, and the cut-off point was 800.0×10-6 mm2/s. ADC values also reduced in some patients without obvious abnormal MRI finds.

Key words: cervical spinal cord injury, apparent diffusion coefficient, diffusion weighted imaging, magnetic resonance imaging