T2* dynamic contrast enhanced MR perfusion for cervical cord lesions; does it work?

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec>
<jats:title>Background</jats:title>
<jats:p>The goal of this work was to assess the value of magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion in narrowing the differential diagnosis of cord lesions.</jats:p>
<jats:p>Thirty eight patients with different cervical cord lesions were involved in this study. This includes 20 males and 18 females, ranging between 13 and 60 years old.</jats:p>
<jats:p>Conventional MR with T2W (axial and sagittal) and pre and post contrast T1W (axial and sagittal) in addition to the T2* MR perfusion sequence were done. The final diagnosis of cervical cord tumors was achieved by biopsy and histopathological diagnosis, while inflammatory lesions were proved by clinical, laboratory data and follow-up for six months.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Results</jats:title>
<jats:p>Neoplastic lesions were found in 13 patients, while 25 patients had inflammatory lesions. Relative cord/cerebral blood volume (rCBV) was significantly higher in neoplastic lesions when compared to non-neoplastic ones (2 ± 1.13 vs 1.01 ± 0.62), respectively. A cutoff value of 1.38 or higher has high sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 83% in differentiating between these lesions.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title>
<jats:p>T2* is a valuable technique in differentiating neoplastic from non-neoplastic cervical cord lesions.</jats:p>
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