PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ross, Jeffrey S.
AU  - Masaryk, Thomas J.
AU  - Modic, Michael T.
AU  - Delamater, Richard
AU  - Bohlman, Henry
AU  - Wilbur, Geoffrey
AU  - Kaufman, Benjamin
TI  - MR Imaging of Lumbar Arachnoiditis
DP  - 1987 Sep 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 885--892
VI  - 8
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/8/5/885.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/8/5/885.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.1987 Sep 01; 8
AB  - To assess the usefulness of MR in defining the changes of lumbar arachnoiditis, we reviewed retrospectively the MR, plain-film myelographic, and CT myelographic findings in 100 patients referred for evaluation of failed-back-surgery syndrome. In 11 of 12 cases of arachnoiditis demonstrated by plain-film and CT myelography, an abnormal configuration of nerve roots was seen by MR. The correlated MR and CT and plain-film myelographic changes were divided into three anatomic groups: group 1 showed conglomerations of adherent roots residing centrally within the thecal sac, group 2 demonstrated roots adherent peripherally to the meninges giving rise to an “empty-sac” appearance, and group 3 demonstrated a soft-tissue mass replacing the subarachnoid space. There was one false-negative MR study. For the diagnosis of moderate to severe arachnoiditis, we found MR to correlate excellently with CT myelographic and plain-film myelographic findings.