Radiology, Vol 195, 725-732, Copyright © 1995 by Radiological Society of North America
Multiple sclerosis in the spinal cord: MR appearance and correlation with clinical parameters
LM Tartaglino, DP Friedman, AE Flanders, FD Lublin, RL Knobler and M Liem
Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
PURPOSE: To determine the characteristic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging
features of multiple sclerosis (MS) that affect the spinal cord. MATERIALS
AND METHODS: Sixty-eight patients underwent MR imaging of the cervical
and/or thoracic spine. Plaques were analyzed for lesion length,
cross-sectional area and location, signal intensity, and morphology. The
clinical parameters of MS type, duration of disease, sex, and age were also
correlated with these MR imaging findings. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-four
demyelinating plaques were found in these 68 patients; 38 had more than one
plaque. The majority of plaques were two body segments in length or less
and peripherally located, and occupied less than 50% of the cross-sectional
area of the cord. Plaques associated with cord atrophy were more likely to
occur with the relapsing-progressive form of MS. Cord swelling was found
only in the relapsing-remitting form of MS. CONCLUSION: Spinal cord MS
plaques are characteristically peripherally located, are less than two
vertebral segments in length, and occupy less than half the cross-sectional
area of the cord.
