While “conventional MRI” is the reference tool for clinical diagnosis in the cord when a neurological deficit is suspected, various MR techniques can also be applied in a clinical research context to further characterize underlying tissue damage and collect quantitative measurements for objective monitoring.
In this presentation, a non-exhaustive overview of what can be done in the spinal cord in a clinical research context using quantitative MRI will be given.
After a short description of challenges related to spinal cord MRI, « classical » sequences that can now be routinely and robustly used to obtain quantitative information will be described: T2*-weighted sequence with good WM/GM contrast for morphological measurements, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), magnetization transfer (MT) and T1 relaxometry, which provide structural information and useful adjuncts despite pathological non specificity. Sequences providing functional, metabolic and vascular information will be briefly discussed.
Following this presentation, attendees should be able to describe state-of-the-art pulse sequences for cord imaging and analysis methods which have not yet made it into everyday clinical practice, and have a better idea of their strengths, weaknesses and added values.

Acknowledgements

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References

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