Clinical and diagnostic summary

Abstract

Given the variety of potential types of pathology and their varied clinical presentations, spinal emergencies are considered among the most challenging of all neuroradiological investigations. Spinal emergencies can be divided into traumatic and non-traumatic causes and can involve the spinal column itself and its related bony, ligamentous and muscular tissues, as well as the intraspinal contents to include the meninges, spinal roots/nerves and spinal cord. Non-traumatic spinal emergencies can originate from a vast number of causes. These noninjury lesions of the spine are classified as benign/malignant neoplastic (primary or metastatic, including haematological malignancies) or infectious-degenerative. Lesions of the spinal contents may be extradural (e.g., haematoma, infection), intradural-extramedullary (e.g., primary or secondary neoplasia) or intramedullary (e.g., infarction, haemorrhage, demyelinating plaque formation) in location. © 2006 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.