Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Targeting Gray Rami Communicantes in Selective Chemical Lumbar Sympathectomy
Published on: January 10, 2019
MR Neurography of the Lumbosacral Plexus: Technique and Disease Patterns
Jenifer Pitman1, Yenpo Lin1, Ek Tsoon Tan1
1From the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 600 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21287 (J.P.); Department of Radiology and Imaging, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY (Y.L., E.T.T., D.B.S.); and Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan (Y.L.).
Abstract:
The lumbosacral plexus (LSP) comprises a complex network of nerves supplying the pelvis and lower extremities and may be affected by a wide range of diseases. Lumbosacral plexopathy can be challenging to diagnose due to overlapping clinical presentations and difficulty performing electrodiagnostic testing of the deep pelvic structures. MRI-more specifically, MR neurography (MRN)-can readily depict most LSP segments. MRN techniques, preferably performed at 3.0 T, continue to evolve, with most protocols including two-dimensional and optionally three-dimensional, heavily T2-weighted fat-suppressed sequences. This article provides technical tips for optimizing LSP MRN, as well as an overview of various LSP-related pathologic conditions, with accompanying illustrative examples. ©RSNA, 2025 Supplemental material is available for this article. See the invited commentary by Chhabra in this issue.
Related Concept Videos
Spinal Nerves: Plexus II
The Lumbar Plexus
The lumbar plexus is situated within the lumbar region of the back and is primarily formed by the first four lumbar spinal nerves (L1 to L4). This plexus extends its branches into several nerves, including the...
Spinal Nerves: Plexus I
The Cervical Plexus
The cervical plexus, formed by the anterior rami of the first four...
Nerve Supply of the GI Tract
The enteric nervous system consists of two major plexuses: the myenteric plexus (Auerbach's plexus) and the submucosal plexus (Meissner's plexus). These plexuses are located within the layers of...
The Spinal Cord
Spinal Nerves: Anatomy
There are 31 bilateral pairs of spinal nerves, each emerging from the spinal cord through the intervertebral foramina—openings between adjacent vertebrae. These nerves are...

