MRI assessment of post-traumatic spinal instability.

The imaging evaluation of patients with spinal trauma has evolved over the past decades, and there has been particular interest in the concept of instability, to predict which a series of criteria have been proposed. We retrospectively evaluated the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in 50 patients with post-traumatic spinal instability according to Denis's three-column method, Daffner et al.'s radiographic criteria, and Oner et al.'s categorization of MRI findings; additionally, we evaluated the cord, the prevertebral tissue, and the epidural space. We suggest that an integrated panel of MRI information might be standardized in order to provide a more complete evaluation of spinal injury in an individual case and help planning surgical treatment.