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The spinal vacuum phenomenon: evaluation by gradient echo MR imaging
Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography
|March 1, 1991
Summary
Gradient echo MRI effectively detects vacuum phenomena in lumbar spines, outperforming other imaging methods for small gas collections. Longer echo times enhance visualization of these air pockets.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Spine Imaging
Background:
- Vacuum phenomena, or gas collections within intervertebral discs, can be challenging to detect with standard imaging.
- Accurate identification of intradiscal gas is crucial for diagnosing disc degeneration and related pathologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the sensitivity of gradient echo Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging in detecting vacuum phenomena.
- To compare gradient echo MR with spin echo MR, Computed Tomography (CT), and plain radiography for vacuum phenomena detection.
Main Methods:
- 14 cadaveric lumbar spines were used.
- Air was injected into intervertebral discs in varying amounts.
- Imaging was performed using spin echo MR, gradient echo MR, CT, and plain radiography.
Main Results:
- Gradient echo MR demonstrated higher sensitivity than spin echo MR and plain radiography in detecting even small intradiscal gas collections (as low as 0.1 cc).
- Computed tomography showed sensitivity comparable to gradient echo MR.
- Plain radiography was the least sensitive imaging modality.
- Increasing the echo time in gradient echo MR enhanced the conspicuity of gas collections due to magnetic susceptibility effects.
Conclusions:
- Gradient echo MR is a highly sensitive technique for defining vacuum phenomena in the lumbar spine.
- Gradient echo MR, particularly with optimized echo times, offers significant advantages over conventional radiography and comparable performance to CT for detecting intradiscal gas.