MRI of wallerian degeneration of the injured spinal cord.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the MR appearance of wallerian degeneration following spinal cord injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the MR examinations of 13 patients with spinal cord injury. Thirty-one MR examinations were performed at various time intervals (1 day to 4 years) following injury.

RESULTS

High signal intensity was observed in six patients (11 examinations) at the level of the posterior columns cephalad to the primary injury site on T2-weighted and proton density-weighted imaging at 10 week to 12 month intervals postinjury. In these six patients the posterior column was involved at the primary injury site.

CONCLUSION

The abnormal intensity cephalad to the injury site is thought to represent wallerian degeneration, which should be considered in the differential diagnoses of spinal intramedullary lesions.