INTRAMEDULLARY GLIOMAS - POSTOPERATIVE MR I FINDINGS

MRI is the standard exploration of intramedullary tumours. Following u p the patients is of prime importance to detect and treat possible rec urrences at an early stage. The purpose of this paper is to specify th e postoperative MRI semiology of intraspinal gliomas. During the 1986- 1992 period, 47 patients operated upon in the Bicetre hospital for pri mary intraspinal tumours were followed up with high-field MR (1.5 Tesl a, Signa, G.E.). The retrospective visual study was carried out by two neuroradiologists, The patients' group consisted of 24 women and 23 m en aged from 15 to 67 years (mean 38 years). The tumours treated were 29 ependymomas and 18 astrocytomas. Eighty-five MRI examinations were analysed. Most of them comprised at least two planes in T1 and T2-weig hted spin echo sequences with gadolinium injection, then only T1-weigh ted spin echo sequences after gadolinium injection (0.1 mmol/kg).