Keywords:
Neuroradiology brain, Neuroradiology peripheral nerve, Neuroradiology spine
Authors:
Y. Parag, L. N. Tanenbaum, P. S. Pawha; New York, NY/US
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2010/C-3384
Conclusion
DWI is a rapid pulse sequence that may practically be added to the routine MR imaging regimen in patients with suspected spinal metastases. It can improve sensitivity of lesion detection and assist in lesion characterization, especially in problematic locations.
While previous studies showed mixed results with diffusion based imaging of the spine, new MRI machines with stronger and faster gradients as well as new coils can improve the signal to noise of acquired images while using intermediate b values of 500-800.
Our study has shown that diffusion weighted imaging can improve the conspicuity of spinal metastases and assist in diagnosing smaller lesions that would have otherwise been missed. In addition, added information from diffusion can assist in the diagnosis of metastatic lesions in problematic areas such as the vertebral endplates, where Shmorl's nodes can be confused with metastases.