Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the spinal cord

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging may increase the sensitivity and specificity of MR imaging for certain pathologic conditions of the spinal cord but is r arely performed because of several technical issues. We therefore tested a novel phase-navigated spin-echo diffusion-weighted interleaved echo-planar imaging sequence in seven healthy volunteers and six patients with intramed ullary lesions. We performed diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the spinal co rd with high spatial resolution. Different patterns of diffusion abnormalit ies observed in patient studies support the possible diagnostic impact of d iffusion-weighted MR imaging for diseases of the spinal cord.