IMAGING OF THE SPINE - TECHNIQUES OF MR-IMAGING

Imaging of the spine has traditionally been accomplished with plain ra diography, myelography, CT, and radionuclide bone scanning. Recently, MR imaging has become the procedure of choice for the evaluation of sp inal disorders. The vertebrae, intervertebral disks, ligaments, spinal canal, and neural foramen may all be evaluated using current MR imagi ng techniques. MR imaging with paramagnetic contrast is a valuable tec hnique for diagnosing tumor, infection, and degenerative disease. CT r emains the procedure of choice for examining fine cortical bone detail , including the evaluation of spinal fractures and the assessment of n eural foraminal size, but it is not sensitive for detecting marrow-inf iltrating disorders. This article focuses on MR imaging techniques use d to evaluate common disorders of the spine, including degenerative di sease, tumors, myeloproliferative disorders, and Paget's disease.