Opinions on my 3D CT scan


Does my spine still look off? This is with RadiAnt. This is so much easier. You were so right!

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Honestly, it does seem to be a bit off. The C2 seems to hang a bit over the C3.

Also, could you rotate it a bit so that C1 is visible too? And maybe using the slice tool, cut the jaw off so that the spine is fully visible?

Have you ever had some whiplash -type accident that could explain this shift?..






The other photo is an xray. Can I use the slice tool on an xray?


I did have a big fall down a flight of stairs in 2015. Is my spine so off it would override the eagles?

So I went through these 3D images and in my non-professional opinion (I’m not a doctor by any means) it feels like Eagle’s might be one thing, but there are certain suspicious things going on with your spine:

  1. loss off lordosis (on MRI)/even mild kyphosis (on CT scan) of the upper cervical spine (C6 and above)
  2. sharp angle at C6-C7-T1 perhaps compensating lack of flexion/extension motion above these levels
  3. mild anterolisthesis T1 over T2 (on MRI)
  4. mild anterolisthesis C2 over C3 (on CT)
  5. mild disc bulging at every level from C2 to C7
  6. as for styloid processes, the left one is thick, but the length is borderline, except that it is a bit closer to the C1 lateral mass that it could be in normal case. Now if that’s the source of your symptoms, is hard to say.

Overall, I’m on the fence about whether it’s Eagle’s or not. It might be multiple things at once in my non-professional opinion.

But I would firmly suggest you to check everything with a neurosurgeon or a very good neurologist. There might be much more contributing to your condition than just the elongated styloid processes.

It seems, the static images often only show one side of the coin, while a lot happens during everyday activities, motion, movement, or simply when the spine/neck is relaxed while asleep.

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I tried to make an appointment with a neurosurgeon but was told I need to see a neurologist not a neurosurgeon. They will find a neurologist as next step. Thank you for your opinions :blush:

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I was told I had a calcified ligament on the right side. Do you see that?

It might be this thin white segment:

But it’s hard to say.

The 3D view has so called “window adjustment” where by playing with numbers (increasing the “center” with the “window” remaining the same, or increasing both min and max) you can eliminate the vascular structures and leave only the bones/calcified parts visible. Also using the “scalpel” you can cut out everything around obstructing the view to the possibly calcified ligament. Then it should be possible to see it clearly.



I think this is the calcified ligament and it hurts where that vein looks pinched

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I feel like from the front the right vein in my throat region looks pinched too. Hopefully a doctor will take the time and actually review them

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Your right IJV looks quite distended in the final image which could point to upstream compression in your neck or closer to your skull base which has been mentioned.

The calcified ligament is the white thing sticking out of your jaw just below your styloid in the first image. The white line below your lower jaw is part of your hyoid bone, I think. The images you posted in this topic Opinions on my 3D CT scan - #17 by stephanie are much more clear of your ligament calcification.

Yep, from this angle it looks like a piece of calcified ligament.

Also, on the left side it seems there is a collateral vein in the back of your skull going down.

One more suggestion, you might want to use Axial view images for 3D rendering, as usually they have the finest representation (sagittal and coronal views are the computed representation of the mostly axial source, the original CT scan data is like a beam/fan spinning in the form of a spiral around the patient - I shared a short YouTube video on how CT works in one of my old posts just can’t remember/find it now).

I would suspect it actually shows possible compression downstream, somewhere towards the heart as the IJV gets inflated as a balloon, meaning there is some resistance below the spot the blood leaves the neck.

But also it might be just an anatomical variation-large vein. Or, a damaged valve in the vein.

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Thx for the correction!

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I found a CT scan I had from 2008 and I don’t have the bulging veins on the back of my skull or on the right side of my face like I do now I still have the calcified ligament and the elongated styloid on the other side. Seems like something major vascular is going on?

Was it with contrast? Regular CT without contrast wouldn’t highlight veins/arteries on the 3D view (though in some cases or might be possible to see them in 2D views)

The arrow points to arcuate foramen. It’s a congenital (usually) condition, relatively frequent, sometimes symptomatic. Google for more information about it.

Besides slight calcifications in stylohyoid ligaments, on the left side there is slightly elongated structure which I think is

known to cause various pains too. Google about it too.

But it is a bit difficult to state with confidence whether it’s pterygoid hamulus or not on this view.

One thing that is clear, though, you have multiple possible sources of your symptoms, and different things might be causing different of those symptoms.

So it’s a possibility that addressing the Eagle’s suggestiv syndrome may help, not help, or only partially help with your case…

Upd: now I am not that sure if that really is the pterygoid hamulus, as it’s situated a bit too posteriorly, but it’s better to check the different views of that spike.

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Went to my oncologist for a check up, tried to show him my 3-D CT scans just to see what he thought. I’ve learned that doctors do not want to look at those at all. Lol.

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It might be difficult to get meaningful help from the doctors who missed all these things, but a way to overcome that might be to get an independent radiological evaluation of all your scans and then start with the family doctor again, I guess…

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