[Magnetic resonance tomography in late sequelae of spinal and spinal cord injuries]

Magnetic-resonance tomography (MRT) helped obtain a high-resolution image characterized by high sensitivity in respect of soft tissue contrast visualization and providing direct imaging of the spinal cord and its radicles. This method is useful in the diagnosis of injuries to the spine and cord. A total of 64 patients of both sexes aged 6 to 67 were examined. The primary diagnosis of traumatic changes in the spine and cord was confirmed by MRT in only 62% of cases. Two groups of patients were singled out: with acute and chronic injuries, subdivided into subgroups with and without spinal cord dysfunction. The detected changes were divided into extramedullary (traumatic disk hernias, compression of the cord or radicles with a dislocated bone fragment, epidural hematoma) and intramedullary (edema, hemorrhages, spinal cord disruption); MRT diagnosis of intramedullary changes is particularly important, more so in the absence of bone injuries. In remote periods after the trauma the clinical picture was determined by spinal canal stenosis, cicatricial atrophic and adhesive changes eventually blocking the liquor space. Intramedullary changes presented as spinal cord cysts or syringomyelia. A classification of the detected changes by the types of injuries and their aftereffects is presented in the paper. The authors emphasize the desirability of MRT in spinal injuries with signs of cord dysfunction.