MR Findings of Subacute Necrotizing Myelopathy : Case Report

Purpose: Subacute necrotizing myelopathy(SNM) is a rare non-tumorous dis ease of spinal cord characterized by subacute clinical course of progressive neurological deterioration. We report MR findings of a patient with pathologically proved SNM. Materials and Methods: 1 case of pathologically proved subacute necrotizing myelopathy Results: The patient was a 56-year-old man with progressive motor weakness and sensory loss of the lower extremities, and urinary and fecal incontinence for 11 months. Spine MRI revealed diffuse enlargement of the thoracic spinal cord from T2 to T7 leve l. Signal intensity of the expanded spinal cord was isointense relative to normal cord on T1-weighted image and hyperintense on proton-density and T2-weighted images. On contrast enhanced T1 -weighted image, there was diffuse homogeneous enhancement in the expanded cord lesion . Conclusion: MR demonstration of stable persistence of spinal cord lesion or atrophy over months or years with clinical findings of gradual progressive neurologic deterioration may be helpful inthe diagnosis of SNM(1).