Dong-Ho Ha, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Sunseob Choi MD, PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

 To evaluate the diagnostic value of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), and enhanced MRI in patients with spinal cord infarct, focused on the differentiation from acute inflammatory and demyelinating lesions  

Institutional review board approval was obtained, but informed consent was waived. We retrospectively reviewed the MRI data and medical record of patients who admitted with acute myelopathy between August 2011 and December 2013. Twenty two patients (seven with spinal cord infarct, 15 with other acute myelopathy) were included in the study. The group of other acute myelopathy consists of 6 patients with neuromyelitis optica or spectrum disorder, 5 patients with transverse myelitis, 4 patients with multiple sclerosis. Exclusion criteria were traumatic or compressive acute myelopathy. The following imaging findings were analyzed: (a) length of lesion on T2 weighted image, (b) presence of high SI on DWI, (c) DTI indices (FA value and mADC), (d) degree of enhancement  

The patients with spinal cord infarct had a significantly greater frequency of the presence of high SI on DWI (6 of 7, p<0.05) and showed more decreased FA values (0.31± 0.15, P<0.05). The length of lesion on T2 weighted image showed similar appearance between two groups. On enhanced MRI image, all of cases of spinal cord infarct revealed non-enhancement or minimal enhancement, other acute myelopathy showed more frequent prominent enhancement (4 of 15), however statistically no significant (p=0.34).

DWI, DTI and enhanced MRI were useful to differentiate spinal cord infarct from the other acute myelopathy.

DWI MRI is the essential imaging tool to diagnosis the spinal cord infarct, even it has various technical challenging.

Ha, D, Choi, S, Diffusion Weighted Imaging, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, and Enhanced MRI in Patients with Spinal Cord Infarct: Differentiation with Other Acute Myeolpathy.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14012179.html