More articles from Spine Imaging and Spine Image-Guided Interventions

Spinal segment variants are highly prevalent and can potentially lead to incorrect spinal enumeration. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of spinal segment variants and to study the potential association among these variants in an asymptomatic population. The results showed that the spinal segment variants are highly prevalent, ranging from 4.2% (cervical rib) to 26.4% (LSTV), and that these variants are associated with each other. The authors recommend further imaging for spine enumeration before interventions or operations when a spinal segment variant is identified.

This retrospective multi-institution cohort study analyzed the temporal features of CSF-venous fistula (CVF) visualization on dynamic decubitus CT myelography (dCTM) in 48 patients. The results showed that most CVFs were visible on first or subsequent phases of dCTM, but approximately 1 in 8 were only visible on either the early or delayed phase. The authors conclude that acquiring greater than 1 phase of imaging increases the sensitivity of dCTM by increasing its temporal resolution.