Neoplasm of the spine most frequently involves osseous metastases including secondary to breast, prostate, and lung cancer (Figure 14-23). 704 Hebron Avenue, Suite 100 (Access to building off Oakwood Drive) Glastonbury, CT 06033. The major determinants of the MR appearance of bone marrow are the fat and water content. Fat saturation can be applied to T2-weighted and gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images. Beuzit L, Eliat PA, Brun V et al. [28] have shown that the T1 FLAIR sequence optimizes the tissue contrast between fatty marrow and abnormal tissue. Sarcoidosis. His acclaimed reference textbook Musculoskeletal MRI is the go-to guide in the field and a bench book all over the world. MR imaging provides better definition of epidural extension of the inflammatory process and compression of the spinal cord and dural sac than other imaging modalities do (, 14). In contrast, marrow distribution and SI patterns show little variation among each vertebral body of the same subject [65]. The lumbosacral spine consists on average of 5 lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum, and coccyx. Sequestration is present when the displaced disc material has lost completely any continuity with the parent disc. Magnetic resonance imaging examinations of the spine in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, before and after successful therapy with infliximab: evaluation of a new scoring system. Techniques such as increasing the bandwidth and orienting the frequency encoding direction parallel to the hardware can reduce related susceptibility artifact. A spinal MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, uses powerful magnets, radio waves, and a computer to make clear, detailed pictures of your spine. Note discitis at the C3-C4 level. Tap on/off image to show/hide findings. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Claustrophobia and MRI. Montazel et al. (A) Sagittal T1-weighted image shows a lipomyelomeningocele with low-lying cord tethered in a large lipoma that is contiguous with subcutaneous fat. (B) Sagittal T1 postcontrast fat-saturated sequence shows thin peripheral enhancement. Factors like lawsuits need visual evidence of surgery success, and financial motivation could explain the underlying cause of inappropriate imaging . MRI may help evaluate pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms, shoulder, or neck area. Benign extradural masses include epidural lipomatosis (Figure 14-33).18–26. Subcutaneous Abdominal Wall Masses: Radiological Reasoning, Pattern of the Month. Spinal cord infarct can result from disruption of the blood supply to the spinal cord and acutely appears as predominantly central high T2 signal with corresponding restricted diffusion on MRI (Fig. (B) T2 fat-saturated image shows disc and vertebral body infection with paravertebral infection. This artifact creates false-positive “enhancement” in upper thoracic vertebral bodies (arrowhead). With advancing age, generally over age 40 years, the vertebral bone marrow becomes increasingly replaced with fatty marrow. Several nonroutine MRI sequences can be used to obtain additional information about spinal bone marrow. In this article we will focus on spinal cord diseases that are characterised by high signal within the cord on T2WI. In addition, the normal distribution patterns of cellular and fatty marrow can be difficult to distinguish from focal or diffuse marrow infiltration [3, 66, 67]. Department of Radiology and Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Delaware Valley, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia and the Radiology Department of the Free University Medical Center and the Academical Medical Center, Amsterdam. FINDINGS: There is normal lumbosacral … Increased susceptibility effects from trabeculae result in lower signal intensity of bone marrow. The cord, in normal patients, is able to freely move with growth or during movements such as stretching or bending. MRI plays an especially important role in the early diagnosis of infection as radiographs and CT can be unrevealing in the early stages of infection. A, T1-weighted images of lumbar (A, B, and D) and thoracic (C) spine show common appearances of bone marrow. Patients older than 40 years can have peripheral bandlike fatty deposits (arrow, B), multiple (sometimes confluent) small foci of fat (arrowheads, C), or multiple large foci of fat (arrows, D). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential modality in evaluating the ligamentous and soft tissue elements of the upper cervical spine. Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to evaluate the spine and spinal cord.Objective: In this article, MRI of the spine is discussed in terms of normal anatomy, standard and advanced imaging techniques, general indications, limitations, and potential for the future. Kanchiku et al. Arteriosclerosis associated with aging may alter marrow perfusion and result in ischemic change [46]. Edema and superior endplate deformities of lower thoracic vertebral bodies (arrows) are compatible with acute compression fractures. [58] used proton MRS to show that the percentage fat fraction was higher in lumbar vertebral bodies of subjects with weakened bone compared with the control group, suggesting it could serve as a measure of bone quality. Weeknight and weekend appointments available for MRI. T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to differentiate nonneoplastic and malignant vertebral body lesions in the spine. Vague enhancing foci (arrows) are compatible with mixed lytic-sclerotic osseous lesions of sarcoidosis. Lipoma. (C) Sagittal T2-weighted fat-saturated image shows multiple vertebral body compression fractures (arrows) with accompanying high T2 signal corresponding to edema indicating acuity. In the setting of fever and back pain, one should have a strong suspicion for infection, as a delay in diagnosis can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Signal peaks can vary among subjects and are influenced not only by the water-lipid proton quantity and the tissue environment but also by the surface coil and the distance between the voxel and surface coil [58]. Fever or history of malignancy should raise suspicion and urgency. Thus, it can be crucial in the evaluation of the trauma patient with ligamentous injury and possible instability. It presents in the spine in less than 10% of the cases. B, T1-weighted images of lumbar (A, B, and D) and thoracic (C) spine show common appearances of bone marrow. Axial T1-weighted image shows a large low-to-intermediate signal paraspinal and retroaortic, extending into the right neuroforamen. B, Sagittal T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MR images without (A) and with (B) fat saturation depict C5–C7 anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion with vertebral body screws. Atypical infections can also be diagnosed by MRI. Susceptibility artifact associated with sclerotic metastases and fracture-related hematoma may result in a false-positive result [39]. Lower lumbar vertebral bodies show fat marrow replacement (arrowhead) and therefore remain hyperintense on both in- and out-of-phase images. Generally, bone marrow signal that is hypointense to adjacent muscle or intervertebral disk at 1.5 T is abnormal with accuracy of 94% and 98%, respectively [6]. On fat-saturated T2-weighted MRI, hematopoietic marrow shows intermediate SI similar to that of muscle, whereas fatty marrow shows SI lower than that of muscle. In contrast, Castillo et al. A frequent motivation for obtaining imaging in the primary care setting is to exclude an underlying malignancy as the cause of LBP. [32] concluded that DWI may be a useful technique for the evaluation of epidural lesions causing spinal cord compression. MR will show the calcification to be low in signal on T1- and T2-weighted sequences with surrounding edema (Figure 14-22C).11–17. Basic Spine MRI. Figure 14-1. 5A and 5B). This may be secondary to shifting of the resonant frequencies of water and fat, prevention of the frequency-specific saturation pulse from targeting fat, or unintended suppression of water signal [13] (Figs. bilateral symptoms. For Patients. A typical dural tail is frequently seen. In one study, Hanna et al. The differences in longitudinal relaxation between fat and water protons result in differences in the T1 relaxation, which are the basis of the STIR technique [15]. A, Sagittal T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MR images without (A) and with (B) fat saturation depict C5–C7 anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion with vertebral body screws. The focus of this Online MRI Spine course, like all our courses, is for you to be More Confident in making a diagnosis and to put out a much Better reports. What is a dorsal spine MRI? Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows the radiologist to directly evaluate all of the soft tissues of the spine, including the ligaments, cord, disks, and vasculature. The advancement of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has made high-quality visualization of the normal and pathologic spine, as well as associated neural tissue, readily available. Sagittal MRI C-spine, T2, with blank labels. Lymphoma. There is an increased incidence in This makes MRI an invaluable tool in assessing high cervical injury. MR imaging is usually performed to evaluate suspected spinal abnormalities, and the disease may first be detected when symptomatic patients undergo this … With this imaging technique, a fast T1-weighted inversion recovery sequence with different TI pairs to null CSF and vary T1 effects on non-CSF tissues is coupled to a RARE readout [27]. Additionally, orthopedic implants may result in poor fat saturation because of local magnetic field inhomogeneity. Schweitzer et al. Schwannoma. Note erosion of lower L4 and upper L5 endplates. MRI of Spinal Bone Marrow: Part 1, Techniques and Normal Age-Related Appearances, Age-Related Changes of Spinal Marrow by T1-Weighted MRI, Pictorial Essay. [8] showed high specificity of both the halo sign and diffuse T2-weighted signal hyperintensity for metastatic disease (sensitivity, 75%; specificity, 99.5%) [8]. Note the chemical shift artifact. MR is the imaging modality of choice and should include fat-suppressed T2-weighted image or STIR and gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted image. Manifestations include symmetric syndesmophytes and ankylosis (bony fusion). Breast cancer bone metastasis. In addition to tumor evaluation, DWI may be useful for differentiation of degenerative and infectious endplate abnormalities. This difference in fat composition of bone marrow may be responsible for the interindividual differences in SI after contrast enhancement [44]. 9 —72-year-old man with acute perineal anesthesia superimposed on chronic low back pain. Sagittal T1-weighted image demonstrates loss of disc height and fatty marrow signal parallel to the L4-5 endplates, characteristic of Modic type 2 changes. loss of vibration and proprioception in the hands and feet, DWI also may prove useful in distinguishing progressive changes in bone marrow among treatment sequelae, fracture, or tumor, which can be difficult on conventional MRI. Sagittal MRI C-spine, T2, with structures labeled. Gradient-recalled echo (GRE) sequences are helpful for detecting blood products associated with cord hemorrhage in the setting of trauma. Fig. More and more patients are undergoing MRI for spinal trauma in the emergency settings, thus necessitating the interpreting physicians to be familiar with MRI findings in spinal trauma. The spinal ligaments normally appear as contiguous linear hypointense structures on all MR pulse sequences. Although the STIR sequence is time consuming, with only a limited number of slices acquired at one time, this can be overcome by using fast STIR sequences [16]. The rate of radiofrequency-induced heat deposited in the patient is increased. 13). Postoperative residual or recurrent disc and scar. [40] calculated relative SI ratios to predict whether lesions were neoplastic or nonneoplastic, and using a 0.81 cutoff value, they achieved sensitivity and specificity of 95%. (A) Sagittal T1-weighted image shows prominent fat of high signal circumferentially around the lower lumbar thecal sac with dorsal epidural lipomatosis, extending cranially to the upper lumbar levels. B, STIR image displays no abnormal signal intensity in upper thoracic vertebral bodies to suggest edema related to marrow process. An understanding of MRI pulse sequences and the normal and age-related appearances of bone marrow is important for the practicing radiologist. In addition, contrast administration allows identification of lesions that may alter treatment, particularly lesions that spread to the epidural space and may result in compression of the spinal cord [21]. Department of Radiology of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria and Rijnland hospital in Leiderdorp, the Netherlands. [34] compared MRI scans using T1-weighted, T2-weighted, STIR, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sequences with histologic specimens at 21 sites, 7 of which contained tumor and 14 of which were tumor-free. 7A and 7B). (A) Axial T2 image shows edematous signal around the pedicles and surrounding soft tissues seen with stress reaction or spondylolysis. Figure 14-13. (D) Axial T2-weighted image shows the centrifugal growth with cord expansion. Make an Appointment; Prepare for My Exam; Get My Results; Send Images; For Medical Professionals; Billing and Insurance; Services Offered; Patient Safety; Clinical Sections; Radiology Scheduling. Griffth et al. Patients who have one episode of optic neuritis or myelitis and who test positive for NMO-IgG are at high risk for developing the full spectrum of NMO. (C) Sagittal T2 fat-saturated weighted sequence demonstrates retropharyngeal fluid and edema with linear low signal in the longus colli tendon consistent with calcification. Imaging of adults with low back pain in the primary care setting. Interventional Radiology Scheduling (415) 353-1300. B, Sagittal STIR MR image shows increased conspicuity of numerous hyperintense metastatic lesions in lumbar spine and sacrum, including T12 lesion compressing conus medullaris (arrow). 13 —28-year-old pregnant woman with right upper extremity and neck pain after fall. Hours vary by exam. What will happen during my Brain or Spine exam? (B) Fat-saturated contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image shows enhancement associated with increased vascularity along the cord. Because the density and spatial orientation of the trabeculae influence the microscopic homogeneity of the magnetic field inside the marrow [55], the line width may be used to reflect bone density. The next sections will discuss these sequences, including the bone marrow appearance on each as well as the utility of other nonroutine sequences in evaluating bone marrow in a problem-solving capacity. Lipomyelomeningocele. Address correspondence to C. J. Hanrahan (www.arrs.org for more information. Strictly speaking, in hydromyelia, there is dilatation of the central canal of the Figure 14-28. In their study of 30 patients, Disler et al. Fig. An important point to remember is that tumors often preserve the intervertebral discs, while infection often destroys the intervertebral discs and vertebral endplates. (A) Sagittal T2-weighted image shows a large cystic mass in the dorsal thecal sac causing mass effect on the cauda equina nerve roots. To identify abnormal bone marrow on imaging, an understanding of the normal pattern of bone marrow maturation that occurs with age is important. Therefore, marrow SI lower than normal muscle almost always indicates pathology. Figure 14-9. In: Medina LS, Blackmore C, eds. Vascular malformations of the spine are also rare but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with unexplained progressive myelopathy or hemorrhage. Figure 14-6. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows the radiologist to directly evaluate all of the soft tissues of the spine, including the ligaments, cord, disks, and vasculature. Figure 14-7. Spine hardware artifacts at 3 T versus 1.5 T. Sagittal T2-weighted MRI performed on a 3 T scanner (a) shows extensive susceptibility artifact related to the pedicle screws, which obscures the surrounding anatomy. This MR technique has also been applied in predicting the progression of collapse of an osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Although metastatic lesions are usually brighter than normal bone marrow on T2-weighted MRI due to their high water content, they sometimes can be difficult to differentiate from normal marrow on T2-weighted sequences [10]. (B) Sagittal T2-weighted image demonstrates the extent posteriorly within the canal spanning multiple thoracolumbar levels. Findings usually present with leptomeningeal linear–nodular or mass-like enhancement (Figure 14-20). Transverse myelitis is an inflammatory condition of the spinal cord associated with rapidly progressive neurologic dysfunction. Spine MRI Online Radiology Course: Normal Spinal Enhancement. Intramedullary: Lesions in the spinal cord. MR aids in the diagnosis with characteristic findings of enhancement of the cauda equina nerve (Figure 14-19). In a study of 22 patients, Schellinger et al. One should also appreciate artifacts and limitations of MRI technique. Keywords: bone marrow, differential diagnosis, MRI, spine protocol, T1-weighted imaging. (A) Sagittal CT scan reveals a displaced fracture (arrow) involving the C7 spinous process as well as distraction of the spinolaminar line. At 3-T field strength, Zhao et al. Radiology 2020;297:382–389. Routine MRI of the spine provides useful evaluation of the spinal bone marrow, but nonroutine MRI pulse sequences are increasingly being used to evaluate bone marrow pathology. [19] showed, in their study of 91 patients with neuroblastoma being evaluated for bone marrow metastases, that although the conspicuity of lesions was increased with the heterogeneous pattern of enhancement on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images with fat saturation, the sensitivity of lesion detection was not increased. Figure 14-5. B, Axial MR images in 25-year-old woman who presented with radiculopathy and was found to have metastatic synovial sarcoma show low T1-weighted signal and peripheral rim of increased T2-weighted signal within T11 metastatic lesion. (A) Sagittal CT image of the cervical spine shows a subtle teardrop fracture involving the anterior–inferior corner of the C3 vertebral body as well as prevertebral soft tissue swelling. COMPARISON: None . TECHNIQUE: Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbosacral spine is submitted with standard protocol, sagittal and axial T1, T2 and/or gradient echo sequences, without IV contrast. Figure 14-12. Computed tomography (CT) is a proven method for evaluating the lumbar spine. The posterior elements include the articulating processes, lamina, and spinous process. Increased interstitial fluid flow along bone canaliculi from repeated mechanical deformation has been proposed as an explanation for the anabolic adaptive responses to mechanical stress occurring within bone. Guillain–Barré syndrome. However, Meyer et al. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed, usually 2-D images of the inside of your body. Spinal canal tumors are classified into three categories by the anatomic compartment of origin: 1. Red marrow reconversion will display normal low signal on out-of-phase imaging because both fat and water elements are present [39]. Paravertebral and epidural extension may appear in the form of either a phlegmon or an abscess with mixed signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images. The exact SI of the marrow, however, is dependent on the proportion of red and yellow marrow. Demineralization and acute compression fracture. Neurofibromatosis type I. Spinal dysraphism is the result of a congenital vertebral defect due to the failure of the caudal neuropore to close which leads to the exposure of the contents of the medullary canal to the exterior. Sequences that suppress the SI of normal fatty bone marrow allow better identification of the enhancing metastatic foci [17, 18]. Sagittal T1 postcontrast image demonstrates extramedullary mass-like enhancement as well as enhancement within the cord. Recent literature has also shown that the T1 FLAIR sequence is sensitive for detecting bone marrow pathology [29]. Click image to align with top of page. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), in- and out-of-phase MRI, MR spectroscopy (MRS), and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) aim to increase contrast and visualize changes in the bone marrow at a molecular level. This spatial misregistration of fat tissue relative to water tissue in the frequency-encoding direction degrades standard SE images [24]. The procedure is also used to assess injuries of the seven cervical spine bones(9). T1-weighted spin-echo (SE) images are best to evaluate the cellular content in bone marrow because of high fat content interspersed with hematopoietic elements. Protrusions are present if the herniated disc material does not extend beyond the superior and inferior margins of the disc space (Figure 14-8). In pathologic fractures, normal fat-containing marrow is replaced with tumor, which results in lack of suppression on the opposed-phase images. MRI is expensive. More Information. This increased specific absorption can be managed by reducing the acquisition flip angle and decreasing the number of phase encoding steps. [52] found an increased tendency of progression of vertebral collapse with increased unenhanced areas on DCE-MRI. Given diffuse marrow involvement, it may be difficult to discern this marrow abnormality. (C) Axial T2-weighted image shows the ventral epidural high T2 collection indenting the ventral thecal sac and abutting the cord. Patients older than 40 years can have peripheral bandlike fatty deposits (arrow, B), multiple (sometimes confluent) small foci of fat (arrowheads, C), or multiple large foci of fat (arrows, D). Additional findings may include cystic components, hemorrhage, calcification, and syrinx formation (Figure 14-25). The bone marrow is a dynamic organ that undergoes changes both during development and, due to the extensive vascularity of bone marrow, in relatively rapid response to changes in environmental factors, including dietary changes, anemia, chronic hypoxia, chemotherapy, and other medications, through various cytokines [69, 70]. Figure 14-26. Intramedullary tumors include astrocytoma, ependymoma, and hemangioblastoma. 3). Disc extrusion. Axial T2-weighted image shows a large mass that markedly widens the neural foramen and narrows the central canal. FLAIR techniques typically use long TE readout (increased T2-weighting) to null CSF signal and thereby improve the conspicuity of tissue abnormalities without the diagnostically problematic effects of CSF pulsation artifacts and volume averaging [22–25]. The syrinx may be appreciated as an area of decreased attenuation, similar to that of CSF, within the spinal cord. B, Sagittal T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MR image illustrates difficulty of lesion detection within marrow on enhanced sequences without fat saturation. Yellow marrow shows intermediate and high SI on T2-weighted SE and T2-weighted fast SE (FSE) MRI, respectively. When considering performing and interpreting imaging of the spine, it is important to first understand the clinical context. There is … (B) On the fat-saturated postcontrast image, there is corresponding diffuse enhancement of the metastasis. This proceeds in a distal to proximal manner until the age of 25 years when the adult pattern of marrow is in place, with the axial and proximal appendicular skeleton containing the remaining red marrow [2]. Normal lumbar spine. Sagittal T1-weighted inversion recovery image exhibits discrete delineation of disk protrusions from CSF (arrowheads). At 1.5 T, a 210-Hz difference exists between the resonant frequency of fat and water [13]. (A) Sagittal T2-weighted image shows large ventral epidural fluid collection of T2 hyperintensity with mass effect on the cord. For all of the tumor-positive sites, the MRI scans revealed abnormalities. Sagittal T2-weighted image shows disc extrusion at L4-5 disc space. The spectra of proton MRS have a water peak, originating mostly from red marrow, and a lipid peak, arising from yellow marrow [2, 56]. Water and fat protons are in phase with one another at a TE of 4.6 milliseconds and 180° opposed at a TE of 2.4 milliseconds at 1.5 T. When a given voxel contains both fat and water, there will be some SI loss on images that are obtained when the protons are in their opposed phase (TE 2.4 milliseconds). Virtually all present with cord enlargement. Rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) techniques, which are equivalent to FSE, can be incorporated with basic FLAIR sequences to improve the efficiency [26]. (A) T1-weighted image showing disc and vertebral end-plate infection with decreased signal in the L4-5 vertebral body and paravertebral soft tissues. The intervertebral disc is normally high signal intensity on T2-weighted images because of its high water content but frequently loses signal over time with loss of water content. Hemangioma. PMID: 14872165 DOI: 10.1097/00002142-200312000-00003 (A) Sagittal T2-weighted image shows disc extrusion extending inferiorly from the L3-L4 interspace. However, DWI sequences may show decreased SI of metastatic disease of the vertebral marrow with successful treatment [35]. 3 For example, high sensitivity ranging between 89–100% for disc herniation have been described in previous studies. Ph: (415) 353-3900 Fax: (415) 353-7299 . The STIR sequence provides high tissue contrast, which is useful in evaluating bone marrow (Figs. The rapidity of the FSE T2-weighted sequence has made it the more common T2-weighted sequence used for clinical imaging. As a part of the routine MR sequences, the combination of T1-weighted and either fat-saturation T2-weighted or STIR images is highly effective for the evaluation of bone marrow lesions [10]. (C) Sagittal T1 postcontrast image shows enhancement of the solid portions of the mass.
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