Multiple myeloma: spinal MR imaging in patients with untreated newly diagnosed disease

Spinal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in 29 patients with newly diagnosed, untreated multiple myeloma. Nineteen (66%) patients were asymptomatic. Sagittal pre- and postcontrast T1-weighted spin-echo images and gradient-recalled-echo images of the thoracic and lumbosacral spine were obtained. Marrow involvement was identified in 20 (69%) patients. There were three MR patterns: focal lesions in nine patients (31%), diffuse involvement in seven (24%), and an inhomogeneous pattern of tiny lesions on a background of normal marrow in four (14%). A statistically significant correlation between MR imaging patterns of marrow involvement and serum hemoglobin values (one-way, P = .0899; Kruskal-Wallis, P = .0620) and between MR imaging patterns and percentage of marrow plasmacytosis (Kruskal-Wallis, P = .0314) was noted, with patterns of diffuse and focal marrow involvement associated with more abnormal values. Spinal MR imaging in patients with early myeloma may reveal marrow involvement in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Some correlation was found between MR imaging patterns and laboratory indexes of disease.