Spinal involvement of hematopoietic malignancies and metastasis: Differentiation using MR imaging

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of magnetic reson ance imaging (MRI) for distinguishing spinal involvement of hematopoietic m alignancies (lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma) from metastasis. 62 spinal MRIs were obtained in 60 patients with hematopoietic malignancies (n = 24) and metastasis (n = 36) in clinically and pathologically proven case s, MRI findings were evaluated in each group of patients for the pattern of involvement, signal change of vertebral body, location of paraspinal mass formation, location of epidural mass formation, cortical destruction, conto ur change, and compression fracture. Diffuse involvements were more commonl y seen in hematopoietic malignancies than in metastasis (p < 0.05). Signal change confined to anterior element was seen in 9 metastasis but was not se en in hematopoietic malignancies. Cortical destructions were more commonly seen in metastasis than in hematopoietic malignancies (p < 0.05). Other fin dings did not show any statistical significance in both groups. MRI finding s such as diffuse involvement, posterior epidural mass formation, and corti cal destruction were useful to distinguish spinal involvement of hematopoie tic malignancies and metastasis, (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1999.