MRI of wallerian degeneration of the injured spinal cord

Abstract

Objective: We assessed the MR appearance of wallerian degeneration following spinal cord injury.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the MR examinations of 13 patients with spinal cord injury. Thirty-one MR examinations were performed at various time intervals (1 day to 4 years) following injury.

Results: High signal intensity was observed in six patients (11 examinations) at the level of the posterior columns cephalad to the primary injury site on T2-weighted and proton density-weighted imaging at 10 week to 12 month intervals postinjury. In these six patients the posterior column was involved at the primary injury site.

Conclusion: The abnormal intensity cephalad to the injury site is thought to represent wallerian degeneration, which should be considered in the differential diagnoses of spinal intramedullary lesions.