MR imaging features of common variant spinal anatomy

The spine is one of the most commonly imaged body parts for all age groups, with indications ranging from congenital abnormalities at birth to degenerative pathology toward the end of life. Because of the importance of softtissue contrast when imaging the spine, MR imaging has become the most important modality in its evaluation. One of the key challenges in the clinical analysis of spinal MR imaging lies in the wide range of so-called normal variability. The goal of this article is not to provide the reader with an exhaustive atlas detailing the appearance of every known variant. Instead, the authors review the MR appearance of the most important variants and provide a logical and, they hope, memorable framework for assimilating this information into practice. To understand why these variations occur, the authors examine the aberrant pathways of embryology, growth, and development that lead to their formation.