PURPOSE To determine the potential and limitations of MR angiography in the evaluation of spinal vascular malformations. METHODS Eleven consecutive patients with spinal vascular malformations proved with spinal selective arteriography underwent two-dimensional phase-contrast MR angiography. RESULTS Abnormal vessels within the spinal canal were identified with MR angiography in 10 patients. ...

It is generally accepted that the first choice of treatment for spinal meningiomas is "radical" surgical removal. However, Simpson grade I removal is sometimes difficult, especially in cases with ventral dural attachment, because of the risk of spinal cord damage or the difficulty of dural repair after radical resection. In addition, there is no consensus on a surgical strategy for radicality, ...

PURPOSE Percutaneous epidural neuroplasty (PEN) is a minimally invasive treatment. The efficacy of PEN has been relatively well investigated; however, the relationship between the clinical effectiveness of PEN and the severity of spinal canal stenosis by disc material has not yet been established. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of PEN according to the dural sac cross...

Spinal dural arteriovenous (AV) fistulas are the most commonly encountered vascular malformation of the spinal cord and a treatable cause for progressive para- or tetraplegia. They most commonly affect elderly men and are classically found in the thoracolumbar region. The AV shunt is located inside the dura mater close to the spinal nerve root where the arterial blood from a radiculomeningeal a...

INTRODUCTION Advances in digital computed tomography prompted the authors to use this technique to measure correlations between the lumbar spinal canal and the dural sac. The aim of the study was to: 1. Evaluate the value of surgical decompression of neural structures using digital computed tomography. 2. Establish mathematical correlations between the surface area of the dural sac and the narr...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The diagnosis of spinal vascular malformations may be challenging on conventional MR imaging because neither the location of the signal abnormality in the spinal cord nor the level of the abnormal flow voids correlates with the level of the fistula. We conducted a retrospective evaluation of the utility of using a time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics sequence in the...

Spontaneous spinal cord herniation through a dural defect is an unusual condition. This entity has been probably underestimated before the introduction of MRI. We report a case of a 49-year-old man with a progressive Brown-Sequard syndrome. MRI and CT myelogram showed a ventrally displaced spinal cord at level T6-T7 and expansion of the posterior subarachnoid space. Through a laminectomy, a spi...

A 59-year-old man presented with a 9-month history of progressive weakness and numbness in his lower extremities (grade 4/5). Spinal MRI demonstrated extensive edema the spinal cord prominent intramedullary enhancement. Selective angiography revealed right L1 dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF) intradural double draining veins (figure 1). The was treated surgery successfully. patient's symptoms...

BACKGROUND Spinal nerve root cuffs may be relevant in selective nerve root and epidural blockade. METHODS We examined the ultrastructural aspects of spinal nerve root cuffs, such as their cellular and fibrillar components, using special histological staining methods, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, from six human cadavers. RESULTS The morphology of the spinal nerve root cuff ...

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF) is rare but still the most commonly encountered vascular malformation of the spinal cord. A 31-year-old male developed gait disturbance due to weakness of his lower extremities, voiding difficulty and sexual dysfunction with a progressive course since 3 months. He showed areflexia in both knees and ankles. Electromyographic findings were suggestive of ...