Imaging spinal osteomyelitis and epidural abscess with short TI inversion recovery (STIR).

MR imaging, primarily the spin-echo technique, is increasingly important in evaluating spinal disease [1-3]. We have found, however, that short TI inversion recovery (STIR) in conjunction with spin-echo techniques provides higher tissue contrast images in shorter imaging times while minimizing imaging degradation due to motion and pulsation. The STIR sequence suppresses the signal from fat [4], allowing clear separation of tumor or infection from normal structures in the spine and abdomen. When used in conjunction with T1weighted spin-echo imaging, the examination provides high sensitivity (from STIR) with excellent anatomic detail (from the T1-weighted spin-echo images). We describe the application of this approach to a case of spinal osteomyelitis with epidural abscess.