Soft-tissue anatomy within the spinal canal as seen on computed tomography.

The CT appearance of the vascular, ligamentous, and neural tissues in the spinal canal was studied in 50 patients and 5 cadavers. In some patients, iodinated contrast medium was first injected into the ascending lumbar veins, nucleus pulposus, or theca. Positive identification of spinal soft tissues on the CT image was made by reference to cadaver dissections. The spinal cord, nerves, root sheaths, retrovertebral plexus, epidural and basivertebral veins, posterior longitudinal ligament and ligamentum flavum, intervertebral disks, and vertebral arteries can be demonstrated by CT, indicating its value in the diagnosis of disease of the cord, disk, and epidural space.