Spine MRI

Alternative names:

magnetic resonance imaging - spine; MRI of the spine; NMR - spine; nuclear magnetic resonance - spine

Normal values:

No abnormalities of size or position of the spine or spinal cord as viewed from any plane. No new growths or lesions.

What abnormal results mean:

The sensitivity of MRI depends, in part, on the experience of the radiologist. As MRI becomes more common, increasingly detailed diagnosis may be possible.

Spine MRI may reveal disorders such as:

• spinal cord compression
• syringomyelia
• cervical disk disorders
• lumbar disk disorders
• tumors of the spine
• enlarged lymph nodes near the spine
• degenerative lesions of the spinal cord
• herniated disk

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• multiple sclerosis
• myelomeningocele (children)