Rationale for Quantitative MRI of the Human Spinal Cord and Clinical Applications

Abstract In vivo spinal cord imaging is now commonly used to diagnose patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Quantitative MRI (qMRI) techniques applied to the spinal cord show promise for predicting prognosis and monitoring treatment response in clinical practice and in treatment trials. European guidelines on the use of neuroimaging in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have recommended incorporating qMRI into new clinical trials as exploratory outcomes. In biomedical research, qMRI can also be used to obtain new insights into disease pathophysiology. In this chapter, we will discuss the results of studies that have applied spinal cord qMRI to neurodegenerative diseases of the spinal cord, including multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, spinal cord injury, cervical spondylitic myelopathy, syringomyelia, ALS, spinal tumors, spinal vascular anomalies, and rarer spinal cord disorders.

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