Extensive Spinal Cord Injury following Staphylococcus aureus Septicemia and Meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is rarely complicated by spinal cord involvement in adults. We report a case of Staphylococcus aureus septicemia complicated by meningitis and extensive spinal cord injury, leading to ascending brain stem necrosis and death. This complication was investigated by magnetic resonance imaging which demonstrated intramedullary hyperintensity on T2-weighted images and by multimodality evoked potentials. Postmortem microscopic examination confirmed that the extensive spinal cord injury was of ischemic origin, caused by diffuse leptomeningitis and endarteritis

Tips and traps in spinal cord pathology

While reviewing major pathological conditions, the radiologist must learn to adapt his technique to the indication and look for multifocal lesions. In conditions involving malformation, transdural cord herniation and diastematomyelia may be discovered late. In vascular diseases, a dural arteriovenous fistula with perimedullary venous drainage is the most common vascular malformation and a source of diagnostic error. On discovering a medullary cavity, the radiologist needs to know when to discount focal distensions of the ependymal canal and how to detect tumoral syringomyelia. In the case of a tumour, he should know the characteristics of common tumours such as astrocytomas, ependymomas, haemangioblastomas and cavernomas. In inflammatory diseases, he should know when a brain examination is required. When faced with images appearing to show a tumour, he should consider the possibility of pseudotumours and in particular of granulomatoses. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of the Éditions françaises de radiologie

[Thoraco-lumbar disc disease with nerve root impingement and differential diagnosis]

This paper will review the diagnostic imaging work-up of disc-related nerve root impingement including the role and technique of CT and MRI. Clinical and anatomical elements will be reviewed along with considerations regarding the radiology report, including a review of the proper descriptive terminology. Finally, clinical and imaging pitfalls will be discussed. In addition to specific features related to thoracic and lumbar segments, clinical and imaging differential diagnoses are reviewed : non-disc related radicular pain (intradural or extra-spinal), differential diagnosis of "enlarged" nerve roots (free disc fragment, cyst of a nerve root sleeve, tumors, normal variants...)

Imaging in sensorineural deafness.

In this paper, the authors describe, in details, the techniques and the indication of CT scanner and MRI for the evaluation of neurosensory deafness. CT scanner allows to study bony and pneumatized structures of the ear. CT scanner is mostly indicated for the study of congenital deafness, post-trauma deafness and unilateral progressive deafness for which the otoscopy is normal. MRI allows the study of fluid compartments, nerves, vascularization and tissue. MRI will be chosen to evaluate sudden sensory neural deafness and unilateral deafness. However, it is worth to mention that CT scanner and MRI are complementary and that precision of the imaging system as well as a strong collaboration between the otolaryngologist and the radiologist are mandatory

Conflit disco-radiculaire dorso-lombaire et diagnostic différentiel.

This paper will review the diagnostic imaging work-up of disc-related nerve root impingement including the role and technique of CT and MRI. Clinical and anatomical elements will be reviewed along with considerations regarding the radiology report, including a review of the proper descriptive terminology. Finally, clinical and imaging pitfalls will be discussed. In addition to specific features related to thoracic and lumbar segments, clinical and imaging differential diagnoses are reviewed: non-disc related radicular pain (intradural or extra-spinal), differential diagnosis of "enlarged" nerve roots (free disc fragment, cyst of a nerve root sleeve, tumors, normal variants.)

Persistent stapedial artery: a congenital anomaly to know

Persistent stapedial artery, one of the rare arterial congenital anomalies of the middle ear, is important to know due to its possible clinical repercussions. Ignoring its existence may lead to complications during surgery of the middle ear (notably hemorrhage). Exploration of the vascular malformation is rendered possible via high-definition computed tomography (CT) imaging of the petrous bones, which reveals the frequent bilaterality of this anatomical variation as well as the presence of associated anomalies. We report on two cases of persistent stapedial artery discovered during CT scan explorations