Articles
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More than 200 results
Article
Lumbar spine (flexion and extension views)
The lumbar spine flexion and extension views images the lumbar spine which consists of five vertebrae.
Indications
These views are specialised projections to provide functional tests 1 of lumbar spine instability, often in the context of spondylolisthesis.
Patient position
the patient is pos...
Article
Y sign (epidural lipomatosis)
The Y sign refers to a common appearance in lumbar epidural lipomatosis where excess fat in the extradural space compresses the dural sac into the shape of the letter "Y".
NB: Y sign also refers to the appearance of incudomalleolar disarticulation on CT, more commonly known to radiologists as t...
Article
Intradural extramedullary spinal tumours
Intradural extramedullary neoplasms are located outside the spinal cord but within the dural sheath.
Epidemiology
The majority (70-80%) of spinal canal tumours are intradural extramedullary 1.
Clinical presentation
Patients present with signs and symptoms of spinal cord or nerve root compre...
Article
Spinal nerve sheath tumours
Spinal nerve sheath tumours are the most common intradural extramedullary masses.
This article is an overview of spinal nerve sheath tumours. For a discussion on the epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathology and treatment/prognosis of spinal schwannomas and neurofibromas, please refer to s...
Article
Spinal astrocytoma
Spinal astrocytomas are the second most common spinal cord tumour, representing 40% of intramedullary tumours 3. They account for 60% of paediatric intramedullary tumours, making them the most common spinal cord tumour in children 6.
This article specifically relates to spinal astrocytomas. For...
Article
Cerebrospinal fluid leak
Cerebrospinal fluid leakage can occur at numerous sites and may be clinically occult, or result in various clinical presentations depending on the site and rate of leakage.
Epidemiology
The epidemiology of individuals with CSF leak will vary greatly according to the wide range of aetiologies, ...
Article
Sugar coating
So-called "sugar coating" or zuckerguss (German for sugar icing) refers to the appearance of diffuse linear/sheetlike leptomeningeal contrast enhancement in the brain or spinal cord due to drop metastases or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. It is seen both as a result of CNS involvement from dista...
Article
Spinal pilocytic astrocytoma
Although rare, pilocytic astrocytomas are the most common spinal cord tumours in the paediatric population.
This article specifically relates to spinal pilocytic astrocytomas. For a discussion on intracranial pilocytic astrocytomas refer to pilocytic astrocytoma. For a general discussion on spi...
Article
Intradural spinal mass lesions (an approach)
Intradural spinal mass lesions are relatively uncommon, compared to intracranial or extradural masses, and can be challenging to diagnose. Additionally, the need for a pre-operative/non-operative diagnosis is in many ways greater as biopsy of lesions within the cord has the potential of devastat...
Article
Neoplasms of the cauda equina (differential)
The differential diagnosis for masses of the cauda equina region is often considered separately to the remainder of the spinal cord. It is often difficult to determine whether masses in this region are intramedullary or intradural-extramedullary.
Most common tumours
myxopapillary ependymoma
b...
Article
AO Spine classification of thoracolumbar injuries
The AO Spine classification of thoracolumbar injuries is a commonly used thoracolumbar spinal fracture classification system 1,2.
The AO Spine system (2013) supercedes the more complex and less reproducible AO Magerl classification 3. Unlike the other widely used system, the thoracolumbar injur...
Article
Occipital condyle fracture
Occipital condylar fractures are uncommon injuries usually resulting from high-energy blunt trauma. They are considered a specific type of basilar skull fracture, and importantly can be seen along with craniocervical dissociation.
Treatment of isolated injury is generally conservative, unless t...
Article
Supraodontoid space
The supraodontoid space, also known as the supradental space or apical cave, is an extradural space at the anterior craniocervical junction superior to the odontoid process of C2 (dens axis).
Gross anatomy
Boundaries
The space is a cave-shaped region facing posteriorly with the following boun...
Article
Persistent ossiculum terminale
The ossiculum terminale appears as a secondary ossification centre of the dens between 3-6 years and normally fuses by 12 years. Failure of fusion results in a persistent ossiculum terminale (also called Bergmann's ossicle or ossiculum terminale of Bergmann) and is considered a normal anatomical...
Article
Split atlas
Split or bipartite atlas is the rare congenital anomaly where the atlas is split into two halves by fusion defects in both the anterior and posterior arches. The osseous defects are spanned by fibrous tissue.
They are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally on spinal imaging. Patients may h...
Article
Benign notochordal cell tumour
Benign notochordal cell tumours are vertebral lesions that are usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on imaging of the head or spine. As this is a poorly-recognised entity, it can often be confused with aggressive vertebral lesions, such as a chordoma, when it is seen on imaging.
Ter...
Article
Borden classification of dural arteriovenous fistulas
The Borden classification of dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF) groups these lesions into three types based upon the site of venous drainage and the presence or absence of cortical venous drainage. It was first proposed in 1995 1. At the time of writing (July 2016), it is probably less popular ...
Article
Posterior vertebral scalloping (mnemonic)
A useful mnemonic to remember the differential diagnoses for posterior vertebral scalloping is:
SALMON
Mnemonic
S: spinal cord tumour (e.g. astrocytoma, ependymoma, schwannoma)
A: achondroplasia, acromegaly
L: Loeys-Dietz syndrome (and other connective tissue disorders)
M: Marfan's syndrom...
Article
Occult intrasacral meningocele
Occult intrasacral meningocele, or more simply sacral meningocele, is a rare congenital lesion characterised by an extradural arachnoid cyst within the sacral canal, classified as a Nabor type Ib meningeal cyst.
Terminology
Other terms for this entity in the literature include intrasacral meni...
Article
Complications of spinal surgery
Complications of spinal surgery are common and can occur at different time intervals after the surgery. Some of them are related to instrumentation, the procedure and/or the approach others are not. Anyhow, it is essential for the radiologist to be aware of them in the assessment of radiographs,...
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