Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine

Blair Allen Winegar; Matthew Derek Kay; Mihra Taljanovic

doi:10.5114/pjr.2020.99887

Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine

Pol J Radiol. 2020 Sep 25:85:e550-e574. doi: 10.5114/pjr.2020.99887. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Blair Allen Winegar¹, Matthew Derek Kay², Mihra Taljanovic^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Imaging, Ophthalmology and Vision Science and Neurosurgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, USA.
² Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona College of Medicine, USA.
³ Department of Medical Imaging and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, USA.
⁴ Business - SimonMed Imaging, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.

Abstract

Low back and neck pain are common and result in significant patient disability and health care expenditure. When conservative treatment fails or worrisome clinical findings are present, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice to assess the cause and complicating features of spine pain. There are many potential aetiologies of spine pain with similar clinical presentation, including degenerative changes, infection, and insufficiency and pathologic fractures. MRI allows for the differentiation of these sources of spine pain and potential complicating features, permitting the appropriate direction of therapy.

Keywords: MRI; degenerative disc disease; insufficiency fracture; low back pain; neck pain; spondylodiscitis.

Publication types

Review