Diagnosis of developmental pathology of the neuraxis by magnetic resonance imaging

We have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate 22 patients with various clinical and/or radiographic findings potentially associated with intraspinal pathology whose evaluation would have necessitated myelography or computed tomography scanning in the past. Ten of these 22 children were diagnosed by MRI to have significant intraspinal lesions: diastematomyelia in four, syringomyelia in four, tethered spinal cord in three, intraspinal lipoma in two, and spinal cord tumor in one. MRI is noninvasive, requires no exposure to ionizing radiation, and provides multiplanar images and three-dimensional reconstruction potential, all with superior soft tissue imaging. In our patient population, it has proven to be a useful diagnostic adjunct.