Spinal Primary Neoplasia/Metastasis

This unit presents a basic protocol for conventional and fast spin echo imaging of spine for visualization of the spinal compartment to assess the extent and degree of spinal cord or cauda equina compression frequently associated with primary and metastatic neoplasia. An alternate protocol is presented for the cases e.g., neurofibromatosis with multiple bilateral neoplasms extending through the neural foramina, where a coronal acquisition may be helpful to analyze the perispinal tissues for tumor extension either inward to, or outward from, the central spinal canal.