The Kang grading system of cervical canal stenosis is used to grade the severity of cervical canal stenosis as demonstrated on MRI. It is derived from the earlier Muhle staging system 1,2.
It categorizes cervical stenosis into four grades from 0 to 3 according to the severity of spinal cord compression:
grade 0: (no stenosis) no narrowing of the spinal canal
grade 1: (mild stenosis) obliteration of more than 50% of the subarachnoid space without any sign of cord deformity
grade 2: (moderate stenosis) central spinal canal stenosis with spinal cord deformity but no spinal cord signal change
grade 3: (severe stenosis) increased T2 signal intensity of the spinal cord at the level of compression
The Kang grading system provides a simple and reliable way to grade the severity of cervical spinal stenosis based on imaging findings 3, which can help guide treatment decisions and predict outcomes. However, it is essential to note that imaging findings should be interpreted in the context of a patient's clinical presentation and not relied upon in isolation to guide treatment decisions.