Spinal artery imaging

A volume that is routinely used for CTA of the entire aorta is sufficient for spinal artery imaging. Depending on scan time and venous access, the volume of contrast agent should be adjusted accordingly. To account for an additional scan delay after table movement, an appropriate amount of supplementary volume should be added. In the end, the technologist and the radiologist... 

Even if spatial and contrast resolution of these imaging modalities will increase in the future, it might be difficult to differentiate the artery from the vein on the anterior surface of the cord. The anterior spinal artery and vein run very close together. The branching of a radicular artery or vein has a very similar hairpin-configuration, and the level at which a segmental in- or outflow occurs cannot be predicted in a given case. 

A kernel usually used for vascular imaging as well as a bone kernel is advisable since spinal arteries may be adjacent to bone, causing beam-hardening effects that might affect dehneation and/or segmentation of arteries (Boll et al. 2006). 

Fig. 24.3. a Oblique coronal MIP (3 mm) for excellent depiction of anterior spinal artery, ASA (J), and AKA (2). b MIP of a curved MPR with bone removal demonstrating a general view at the segmental arteries in one image and with depiction of... 

In SDAVF the key findings in MRI are the sequelae of the congestive myelopathy and the detection of the arterialized perimedullary veins (Fig. 17.10). MRI shows in almost all cases a long central intramedullary hyperintense lesion in T2-weighted images that spans several cord segments (Koch et al. 1998 Van Dijk et al. 2002). A characteristic finding is a hypointense rim adjacent to the spinal cord lesion. 

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