Neoplastic disease of the spine.

In summary, MR imaging has become the single most effective modality for the evaluation of spinal neoplasms by virtue of its ability to image the spinal cord directly and noninvasively. In this fashion, one can localize mass lesions relative to the spinal cord; in conjunction with the patient's clinical history, it is thus possible to provide a brief yet accurate differential diagnosis. Intravenous paramagnetic contrast enhancement also may prove extremely useful in further delineating such lesions. In addition, it has demonstrated a high sensitivity to primary and secondary tumors of the bony spine through its ability to detect subtle T1 signal changes in the vertebral marrow space.