The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the value of diffusion tensor (DT) imaging in intraspinal cord tumors . Spinal cord tumors are rare lesions, especially when located intremedullary (1). Despites the advances made in microsurgical neurosurgery, operations of spinal cord tumors remains challenging. The major predictor of resectability is still the histological type of the tumor (2, 3). Conventional MR imaging has been shown to provide earlier detection of spinal cord tumors but prediction of histological grade on the basis of conventional...

Diffusion tensor imaging was performed in 24 patients with intraspinal lesions. Lesions showed different amount of spinal cord compression or infiltration. All patients underwent MR imaging on a 3.0T magnet (Verio, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) with a dedicated cervical spine coil. A standardized MR imaging protocol for the cervical spine was used including sagittal T2 (TR: 4680 TE: 105) and T1-weighted (TR: 510, TE: 10 ) and axial T2 weighted planes as well as gadolinium enhanced T1 weighted sagittal and axial acquisitions. For diffusion tensor imaging...

:Of the 24 patients (12 male, 12 female; mean age 49.5 ± 18.1 years, range: 19-74years)), 13 patients showed intramedullary tumors, 9 Patients presented extramedullary intradural tumors and2 patients had epidural masses. 6 patients had ependymomas, 5 Patients showed meningiomas, 3 patients had cavernomas, 1 patient showed a cord oligodendroglioma, another a LGG, 1 patient had a cord Glioblastoma. 1 patient had a chordoma with mass effect on the spinal cord. One patient presented with an intramedullary Hemangioblastoma, 1 Patient showed an intradural extramedullary Neurinoma...

These preliminary data suggest that DTI and Tractographies of spinal cord tumorscan be capable of showing the effect of tumors to the spinal cord with more sensitivity than conventional MRI does and thus having the potential of predicting the resectability of spinal cord tumors. Further prospective and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these results and effects on patient outcome. Acknowledgments: We would like to thank Siemens Healthcare (Erlangen, Germany) for providing us with the work in progress DTI sequence package WIP #511 (author: Dr....

REF: 1. Barker DJ, Weller RO, Garfield JS: Epidemiology of primary tumours of the brain and spinal cord: a regional survey in southern England. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 39:290– 296, 1976 2. Nakamura M, Ishii K, Watanabe K, Tsuji T, Takaishi H, Matsumoto M, et al: Surgical treatment of intramedullary spinal cord tumors: prognosis and complications. Spinal Cord 46:282–286, 2008 3. Minehan KJ, Shaw EG, Scheithauer BW, Davis DL, Onofrio BM: Spinal cord astrocytoma: pathological and treatment considerations. J Neurosurg 83:590–595, 1995 4. Parizel PM,...

1.University Clinic Innsbruck,University Clinicof Neuroradiology, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck (F.C-Z) 2..University Clinic Innsbruck,Department of Neurosurgery, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck.(S.I,H.K,C.T) 3.University Clinic Innsbruck, Department of Radiology, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck.(G.F)