CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE WITH GADOLINIUM CONTRAST AGENTS IN SPINAL MR-IMAGING

Gadolinium contrast agents represent one of the most important advance s in MR imaging of spinal disease. Many abnormalities that affect the epidural, intradural extramedullary, and intramedullary compartments d emonstrate contrast enhancement, the pattern of which often provides s pecific diagnostic information. This is particularly true of neoplasti c diseases such as primary glioma and leptomeningeal tumor spread. Gad olinium contrast also finds vital application in differentiating herni ated disc from epidural fibrosis in the failed-back surgery syndrome, as well as hypointense disc from enhancing tumor in select cases. Cert ain demyelinating and inflammatory processes also have predictable MR manifestations that facilitate accurate diagnosis.