Tumors of the osseous spine: staging with MR imaging versus CT.

Twelve patients with tumors involving the osseous spine were evaluated with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and computed tomography (CT), six with and six without intrathecal injection of contrast material. MR imaging was found to be superior to CT without contrast material and equal to CT with contrast material in delineating the anatomic relationships of the tumors, including bone involvement, spinal canal invasion, paraspinal soft-tissue extension, and vascular involvement. Since MR imaging can provide most of the anatomic information necessary for treatment planning, intrathecal injection of contrast material can be avoided in most instances when evaluating tumor involvement of the osseous spine. However, CT without contrast medium was superior to MR imaging in showing critical cortical bone destruction and calcified tumor matrix.