Magnetic resonance demonstration of multiple sclerosis plaques in the cervical cord.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to be far more sensitive than computed tomography (CT) in the detection of multiple sclerosis plaques within the brain. Unlike CT, MRI is also able to detect multiple sclerosis in the brainstem and cerebellum. This report is the first description of MRI of multiple sclerosis plaques within the cervical spinal cord. Twenty-one patients with clinically typical multiple sclerosis had characteristic plaques within the brain. In 10 patients one or more plaques were identified in the cervical spinal cord. Plaques in the spinal cord were detected only in the upper cervical region using the 30-cm head radiofrequency coil. No lesions were identified using the larger-diameter body coil because of poorer signal-to-noise ratio. Further improvement in visualization of plaques in the lower cervical and thoracic spinal cord may depend on development of high-quality surface coils.