Prevalence and Reporting Rates of Extraspinal Findings for Lumbar Spine Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Ghanaian Tertiary Hospital

Background Extraspinal findings are commonly detected on magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine, but these findings are sometimes omitted from radiological reports. Failing to report these findings could have a clinical impact on the patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and reporting rates of extraspinal findings on lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging. Methods Retrospective analysis was done on lumbar spine magnetic resonance images done at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital between January 2020 and December 2021. A total of 1267 patients underwent lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging within the period. The degree of clinical significance of the extraspinal findings was ascertained using the computed tomography colonography reporting and data system classification scheme. The reporting rate was determined by referring to the archived radiological reports. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results A total of 737 extraspinal findings were detected from 530 patients. The overall reporting rate of extraspinal findings was 62.6% (461/737). The most common extraspinal finding was a simple renal epithelial cyst (n = 333). Clinically significant findings were detected in 107 out of the 530 patients; 36.4% of the clinically significant findings were not reported when compared with the archived reports. Conclusion Extraspinal findings on lumbar spine imaging were common in our study population. When radiologists are reporting lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging, it is crucial to be aware of the risk of missing clinically significant findings.