Imaging findings of the spinal peripheral Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours

Abstract

To present the neuroradiological and clinical characteristics of Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours (ESFTs) and to increase awareness of this neoplasm. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and clinical presentations of seven patients with pathologically documented ESFTs were retrospectively analysed. The tumour location, morphological features, signal intensity, contrast enhancement characteristics, involvement of the paraspinal soft tissues, and adjacent bony structures were assessed. Most of the ESFTs in young adults were well-circumscribed. The present study demonstrated that ESFTs often have a hypo- or iso-intense signal on T1-weighted imaging and an iso-intense signal on T2-weighted imaging. Spinal ESFTs tended to present homogeneous signal intensity and diffuse enhancement. ESFTs are more likely to occur in the thoracic spine and later to infiltrate into the paraspinal area or vertebral bone. A broad dural attachment is another common feature in the cases presented here. ESFT is a rare neoplasm that can have significant overlap in imaging appearance compared with other spinal neoplasms. A well-demarcated extradural mass invading the paraspinal soft or vertebral bones, with iso-intense on T2 weighted imaging and homogeneous enhancement could facilitate the diagnosis of spinal ESFT.