Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio: a correlation study of its effect on magnetic resonance imaging enhancement patterns in spinal parenchymal tuberculosis.

Objective: To explore the impact of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhancement patterns in patients with spinal parenchymal tuberculosis.

Methods: In this study, a retrospective analysis was conducted on 42 patients diagnosed for the first time with spinal parenchymal tuberculosis at Kunming Third People's Hospital between 2019 and 2024. They were divided into a homogeneous enhancement group and a ring enhancement group based on MRI characteristics and an analysis of their clinical presentations, imaging features and laboratory test results.

Results: A total of 42 patients were included in the study, with 30 in the ring enhancement group and 12 in the homogeneous enhancement group. The ring enhancement group exhibited a significantly higher proportion of fever, night sweats and limb sensory/motor dysfunction compared with the homogeneous enhancement group (p < 0.05). For laboratory tests, the ring enhancement group showed remarkably elevated peripheral blood neutrophil counts and NLR, along with markedly reduced lymphocyte counts and proportions (p < 0.05). Additionally, the incidence of perilesional oedema was substantially higher in the ring enhancement group than in the homogeneous enhancement group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The NLR may serve as a potential indicator for assessing MRI enhancement patterns in spinal parenchymal tuberculosis, which is beneficial for identifying patients at different pathological stages of the disease. This study provides novel perspectives for clinical diagnosis and treatment while emphasising the need for further research on the application value of the NLR in tuberculosis.