Surface-coil MR imaging of the spine is one of the most commonly perfo
rmed MR imaging procedures. As the spine is the region of interest in
these studies, extraspinal abnormalities may be overlooked. Such lesio
ns can be difficult to perceive because they are out of the area of in
terest or distant from the surface coil. MR studies may be interpreted
without other radiographic studies for comparison, as the other studi
es often have been performed elsewhere. Consequently, it is important
for radiologists to be aware of the extraspinal anatomy and the appear
ances of extraspinal abnormalities. We describe the appearances of som
e common extraspinal diseases and normal variants detected with surfac
e-coil MR imaging of the spine.