Sensitivity and specificity of MRI in detecting malignant spinal cord compression and in distinguishing malignant from benign compression fractures of vertebrae

• Published in: Magnetic resonance imaging Vol. 6; no. 5; p. 547
• Main Authors: Li, K C, Poon, P Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 01-09-1988
• Subjects: Cauda Equina - pathology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Myelography; Nerve Compression Syndromes - diagnosis; Nerve Compression Syndromes - etiology; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Spinal Cord Compression - diagnosis; Spinal Cord Compression - etiology; Spinal Diseases - complications; Spinal Diseases - diagnosis; Spinal Neoplasms - complications; Spinal Neoplasms - diagnosis
• ISSN: 0730-725X
• DOI: 10.1016/0730-725x(88)90129-4

The accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the detection of metastatic compression of the spinal cord and the cauda equina (MCCE) in 75 patients with known primary malignancy outside the central nervous system is determined retrospectively by comparing the MR results with findings of myelography, surgery, clinical follow-up and autopsy. The sensitivity is 93%, the specificity 97% and the overall accuracy 95%. The signal intensity measured in the sagittal MR images of a collapsed vertebral body is divided by that of an average of three adjacent normal vertebrae to form a signal intensity ratio (SIR). The SIRs of 41 metastatic and 15 post-traumatic collapsed vertebrae are calculated. A ratio of 0.8 has the most differentiating power. All benign and one malignant compressed vertebrae have SIRs greater than 0.8.