Spinal Cord Measurement Protocol in MRI

Sequences required for the "Measurement of Spinal Cord in MRI" are:

• Sagital T1 SE
• Axial T1 SE
• Sagital T2 FSE
• Specialised set of Axial FSE (TR 4000/TE (eff) 120) images, using a 256 x 256 matrix with a 22 cm field of view, are obtained in planes that are perpendicular to the spinal cord-single axial images at each disc space-fromC2-3 through C7-T1(slice thickness 4mm.)

Axial images are also obtained at the level of the base of the odontoid and the foramen magnum, perpendicular to the upper spinal cord, approximated by visual inspection
The AP spinal cord, transverse spinal cord and spinal canal diameters are measured on these specialized T2-weighted axial images using the MR scanner software 
All measures are indexed to the canal level at the disc space, i.e., the C2-3 disc becomes the C2 canal. Note that the spinal cord level is one level above the "canal level." 
The AP compression ratio is computed from these last two measures; cord area is calculated as the area of an ellipse (a = p/ 4 d1d2).


TECHNICAL TIP: 3D-modified driven equilibrium Fourier transform (MDEFT)-based acquisition protocol established for brain morphometry also yields reliable information about the cross-sectional spinal cord area (SCA)




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