Part B: MRI of the spine Flashcards
- Most spine imaging is performed with the use of:
a. A surface/ local coil
b. ECG gating
c. Respiratory compensation
d. Peripheral gating
a. A surface/ local coil
- In patients who have undergone surgery for a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, contrast enhancement can be used to distinguish recurrent disc from postoperative scar because
a. Postoperative scar never enhances and recurrent disc does enhance
b. Postoperative scar enhances and recurrent disc does not
c. Disc enhances more slowly than postoperative scar
d. Neither scar nor disc enhance
c. Disc enhances more slowly than postoperative scar
- For optimal imaging of the cervical spine, patient positioning and local coil placement are:
a. Supine/ under the neck to include from C1 to C7
b. Supine/ on top of the neck to include from C1 to C7
c. Supine/ beside the neck to include from C1 to C7
d. Prone/ on top of the neck to include from C1 to C7
a. Supine/ under the neck to include from C1 to C7
- On a 24-cm FOV, sagittal T-spine image that demonstrates a cord compression, the vertebral level can be determined by using:
a. The xyphoid as a landmark and counting up from T12
b. The sternal notch as a landmark and counting down from T1
c. A large FOV localiser and counting down from C2
d. Lead markers to mark T12 and T1 on large FOV images
c. A large FOV localiser and counting down from C2
- In lumbar spine imaging, images acquired directly through inter-vertebral disc spaces can be acquired in:
a. Axial plane
b. Sagittal plane
c. Coronal plane
d. Oblique plane
d. Oblique plane
- On T1-weighted images of the spine, the CSF appears:
a. Hyperintense to the spinal cord
b. Hypointense to the spinal cord
c. Isointense to the spinal cord
d. a and c
b. Hypointense to the spinal cord
- The conus and the cauda equina in adult patients re best demonstrated by any of the following EXCEPT:
a. Sagittal image of the cervical spine
b. Sagittal image of the thoracic spine
c. Sagittal image of the lumbar spine
d. Coronal image of the thoracic spine
a. Sagittal image of the cervical spine
- Figure B.10 was acquired in the:
a. Axial imaging plane
b. Sagittal imaging plane
c. Coronal imaging plpane
d. Off-axis (oblique) imaging plane
b. Sagittal imaging plane
- Figure B.10 is an example of a:
a. T1- weighted image
b. T2-weighted image
c. Spin (proton) density-weighted image
d. T2*- weighted image
e. All of the above
a. T1- weighted image
- On Figure B.10 arrow A is pointing to the:
a. Oropharynx
b. Nasopahrynx
c. Anterior arch of C1
d. Dens (odontoid)
a. Oropharynx
- On FIgure B.10 arrow B is pointing to the:
a. Oropharynx
b. Nasopahrynx
c. Anterior arch of C1
d. Dens (odontoid)
c. Anterior arch of C1
- On Figure B.10 arrow C is pointing to the:
a. Oropharynx
b. Nasopahrynx
c. Anterior arch of C1
d. Dens (odontoid)
d. Dens (odontoid)
- On Figure B.10 arrow D is pointing to the:
a. CSF in the subarachnoid space
b. The cervical disc
c. The spinal cord
d. The meninges
b. The cervical disc
- On Figure B.10 arrow E is pointing to the:
a. Oropharynx
b. Nasopahrynx
c. Trachea
d. Esophagus
c. Trachea
- On Figure B.10 arrow F is pointing to the:
a. Vertebral body
b. Spinal cord
c. Intervertebral disc
d. Spinal canal
b. Spinal cord
- On Figure B.10 arrow G is pointing to the:
a. Vertebral body
b. Spinal cord
c. Intervertebral disc
d. Spinal canal
a. Vertebral body
- On Figure B.10 the vertebral bodies of the cervical spine can be visualised because:
a. Bone is radiolucent and therefore appears dark on all MR images
b. Bone is dense and attenuates the RF pulse, and therefore appears bright on all MR images
c. The hydrogen in cortical bone is too tightly bound to be “excited” by the MR imaging process; therefore, cortical bone appears dark on MR images and ‘outlines’ the vertebral body
d. Bone marrow contains fat and water, and therefore appears bright depending upon the scan parameters used to create the image (surrounded by the ‘outlining of cortical bone’)
e. c and d
e. c and d
- On Figure B.10 there is a ‘slight’ cervical disc herniation (bulge) at the level of:
a. C1/ C2
b. C2/ C3
c. C5/ C6
d. C7/ T1
c. C5/ C6
- 3D gradient echo axial views can be used in cervical spine imaging to provide:
a. Thin contiguous sections of the spine
b. The ability to reformat into any other imaging plane, retrospectively
c. The ability to get either T1, spin density, or T2* information by changing image acquisition parameters (TR, TE and flip angle)
d. All of the above
e. a and b only
d. All of the above
- In complete spine imaging, to rule out metastatic lesions of spinal cord, contrast enhancement can be used with T1-weighted images because:
a. Normal cord enhances and metastatic lesions do not
b. Metastatic lesions (within the cord) enhance and normal cord does not
c. Scar enhances and disk does not
d. CSF is bright and cord is dark
b. Metastatic lesions (within the cord) enhance and normal cord does not
- Figure B.11 was acquired with a 48-cm rectangular FOV, 4-mm slice thickness, and a 512 x 512 imaging matrix. A small image that would bear the same spatial resolution is:
a. 24-cm FOV, 4-mm slice thickness, and a 256 x 256 matrix
b. 48-cm FOV, 4-mm slice thickness, and a 256 x 256 matrix (without rectangular FOV)
c. 24-cm rectangular FOV, 2-mm slice thickness, and a 256 x 256 matrix
d. 12-cm FOV, 8-mm slice thickness, and a 512 x 512 matrix
a. 24-cm FOV, 4-mm slice thickness, and a 256 x 256 matrix
- Judging from the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on Figure B.11, the coil or coils that were most likely used to acquire this image are:
a. A 5-inch surface coil
b. A Helmholtz coil pair
c. The body coil
d. Phased array coils
d. Phased array coils
