Pseudosparing of the endplate: a potential pitfall in using MR imaging to diagnose infectious spondylitis.

Wolansky, L J; Heary, R F; Patterson, T; Friedenberg, J S; Tholany, J; Chen, J K; Patel, N; Doddakashi, S · AJR Am J Roentgenol · 1999

case_series · Level IV

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe a potential pitfall in using MR imaging to diagnose infectious spondylitis called "pseudosparing" of the endplate, in which the diseased endplate appears to be better defined than a healthy endplate. Poor definition of the endplate is a classic radiographic finding in infectious spondylitis; on MR imaging, however, increased conspicuity, or "pseudosparing," was common in our study. Pseudosparing occurs when the normal chemical shift artifact seen in healthy endplates is lost as a result of infiltration of the bone marrow by a pathologic process.

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