MRI analysis of non-traumatic multiple vertebral collapse in aged people

Objective: To evaluate the MRI in the differential diagnosis of acute non-traumatic vertebral collapse.

Methods: Sixty-eight cases were retrospected. All cases were studied with sagittal T1-weighted MR images, T2-weighted MR images, gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted MR images, and axial T1-weighted MR images. Twelve of 68 were performed extra coronal T1-weighted MR images and 22 with additional axial gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images.

Results: The causes of vertebral collapse were: (1) osteoporosis (n = 31), their images showed retropulsion of bony fragments of collapsed vertebral body which kept the normal signal into the spinal canal as the distinctive sign; (2) metastatic tumor (n = 30), their images showed destructions of pedicles of vertebral and epidural mass as the distinctive sign, and hyperintense or mixed hyperintense signal on T2WI and enhanced T1WI of compressed vertebrae; and (3) multiple myeloma (n = 7), their images showed long T1WI and long T2WI, without destruction of pedicle and epidural mass in compressed vertebrae.

Conclusions: MRI is useful to the differentiations of the non-traumatic vertebral collapse in aged.