II. Indications
- Lumbosacral Radiculopathy
- Spinal Epidural Abscess (Spinal Osteomyelitis)
- Spinal Cord Tumor
- Spinal stenosis
- Nontraumatic vascular injuries of the spine
III. Contraindications: Implantable Device
- Pacemaker
- Ferromagnetic vascular clip
- Intracranial clips
- Other metal or magnetic devices
- Claustrophobia (less in open-sided MRI)
IV. Pitfalls: Coincidental Findings in pain free patients
V. Disadvantages
- Expensive
- High False Positive Rate (asymptomatic changes)
- Very sensitive to patient movement
VI. Advantages
- No radiation
- Large area of spine covered
- Shows soft tissue well (e.g. nerve)
- Shows changes within disc and Vertebral body
VII. Adjuncts: Gadolinium Contrast
- Not recommended if prior Lumbar Spine Surgery
- Contrast in this case reduces accuracy
- May offer additional information in select cases
- Enhances nerve roots in inflammation and infection
- Distinguishes recurrent disc Herniation from scar
Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)
Related Studies
| Concepts | Diagnostic Procedure (T060) |
| SnomedCT | 241648005 |
| English | MRI of lumbar spine (procedure), Magnetic resonance imaging of lumbar spine (procedure), MRI spinal lumbar, L-spine MRI, magnetic resonance imaging of lumbar spine, magnetic resonance imaging of lumbar spine (procedure), MRI of lumbar spine, MRI lumbar spine, lumbar spine MRI, Magnetic resonance imaging of lumbar spine, Magnetic resonance imaging of Spinal cord levels, lumbar |
| Spanish | RM de columna vertebral lumbar, resonancia magnética de columna vertebral lumbar (procedimiento), resonancia magnética de columna vertebral lumbar |
