Correlation between histopathologic features and magnetic resonance images of spinal cord lesions.

The authors report a correlation between histopathologic features and magnetic resonance images of spinal cord lesions in 19 human spinal cords with various types of lesions. Abnormally high T2-weighted image signal intensities appeared nonspecifically in mildly altered lesions or areas with edema. In the gray matter, a low T1-weighted image in addition to a high T2-weighted image signal intensity appeared in severely altered lesions with necrosis, myelomalacia, or spongiform change. In the white matter, abnormally high T1-weighted image intensities appeared in severely altered lesions. Based on these preliminary results, it appears that a correlation between the degree of histopathologic alteration of the spinal cord and magnetic resonance images in clinical cases can be made. This is the first study to clarify the correlation between histopathologic features and magnetic resonance images of the diseased human spinal cord.