PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Stein, J.M.
AU  - Eskey, C.J.
AU  - Mamourian, A.C.
TI  - Mass Effect in the Thoracic Spine from Remnant Bone Wax: An MR Imaging Pitfall
AID  - 10.3174/ajnr.A1830
DP  - 2010 May 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 844--846
VI  - 31
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/31/5/844.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/31/5/844.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2010 May 01; 31
AB  - SUMMARY: Bone wax used in neurosurgical procedures is a rare cause of complications after surgery. We present a patient who developed paraplegia following thoracic spine surgery. A subsequent MR imaging study demonstrated a signal void that resembled postoperative air but appeared to cause cord compression and proved after a second surgery to represent bone wax. Recognizing the MR imaging and CT characteristics of bone wax is important to prevent mistaking it for residual air in postoperative imaging.