Use of magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating injuries to the pediatric thoracolumbar spine

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of acute thoracolumbar spinal injuries all ows excellent evaluation of the neurologic and soft tissue structures. Owin g to recent advances ill imaging techniques that permit greater spatial res olution and more detailed imaging of tissue, MRI now affords effective visu alization of injury to the ligaments, intervertebral disk, bones, and spina l cord after spine trauma. Cord changes have been classified into three pat terns that an predictive of clinical outcomes in adults with cord injuries. The value of MRI in evaluating pediatric patients with thoracolumbar injur ies. or in predicting their clinical outcome has not been assessed. After r etrospectively reviewing 19 pediatric thoracolumbar fractures associated wi th neurologic deficits from three level trauma centers, we conclude that MR I is the imaging modality of choice in these patients because it can accura tely classify injury to bones and ligaments and because the cord patterns a s determined by MRI have predictive value.