Anterior spinal artery stroke demonstrated by echo-planar DWI

Diffusion-weighted MR (DWI) is becoming an established method for the investigation of cerebral ischemia. Its value in spinal ischemia has to be demonstrated. We report on a patient presenting with postoperative paraparesis who underwent emergency MRI of the spine with echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging which showed an area of hyperintensity corresponding to a decrease of diffusion as measured by the apparent diffusion coefficient. On follow-up imaging spinal stroke was confirmed. In conclusion, spinal echo-planar MR imaging can demonstrate ischemic changes despite strong echo-planar artifacts. It could become an important adjunct to the management of patients with suspected spinal ischemia.