E. Beuls et al., MICROANATOMY OF THE EXCISED HUMAN SPINAL-CORD AND THE CERVICOMEDULLARY JUNCTION EXAMINED WITH HIGH-RESOLUTION MR-IMAGING AT 9.4 TESLA, American journal of neuroradiology, 14(3), 1993, pp. 699-707
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences,"Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
PURPOSE: To study in detail the MR anatomy of the spinal cord and the
cervicomedullary junction that could serve as a reference for clinical
MR studies. METHODS: Specimens of fresh human spinal cord and formali
n-fixed cervicomedullary transition zones were imaged with a 9.4-T ver
tical bore magnet. Using a multisection spin-warp pulse sequence the p
arameters were selected to produce essentially proton density images.
RESULTS: The images obtained depict the microanatomical organization o
f the spinal cord and cervicomedullary junction. In the spinal cord, t
he central gray has the expected higher signal intensity compared with
the white matter, which is, apart from its darker general appearance,
characterized by the presence of a dense radially structured neurogli
al framework of high signal intensity. Anatomically more complex regio
ns such as the dorsal root entry zone, the adjacent posterior horn com
plex, and the crossing fibers of the cervicomedullary junction are see
n as well as parts of the microvascular system. CONCLUSION: Although c
ellular details are still beyond the limits of this investigation, the
images at 9.4 T show the spinal cord and cervicomedullary junction wi
th detail comparable to low-power microscopic images of fixed sections
, especially with respect to distinguishing gray and white matter, nuc
lei, tracts, and angioarchitecture.