Imaging of the Spine and Spinal Cord

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Recent technologic advances in MR imaging of the spine and spinal cord have been aimed at shortening examination time and suppressing artifacts. Gradient-recalled fast T2-weighted imaging is advocated for evaluating cervical radiculopathy. Better signal-to-noise ratios are achieved with three-dimensional Fourier transform gradient-recalled T2-weighted imaging and with decreased bandwidth acquisition. Obtaining high-contrast images of the spine is often complicated by the appearance of truncation artifacts. In outpatient radiculography, both iopamidol and iohexol appear safe, but iohexol seems better tolerated. In trauma, MR imaging is definitive, and signal abnormalities can help in evaluating neurologic recovery. Intraoperative spinal sonography may be helpful in evaluating acute injury. Enhancement with gadolinium diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid is useful in the evaluation of disk space infections, osteomyelitis, and epidural abscess and in the study of spinal cord sarcoidosis. In patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, MR imaging may show hyperintense spine on T2-weighted images. MR imaging with gadolinium diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid or gadolinium tetra-azacyclododecane tetra-acetic acid enhancement can be useful in evaluating intramedullary and intradural extramedullary tumors and for determining the extent of spinal leptomeningeal metastases. MR imaging can also be used to differentiate benign from pathologic fractures.