Cystic Lesions in Spinal Imaging: A Pictorial Review and Classification

The authors present a variety of common and uncommon extraosseous cystic lesions encountered in the spine. Accurate localization of a detected lesion within the spinal canal, assessment of its imaging features, and understanding its relationship with surrounding structures will help differentiate many of the lesions and aid in the preoperative diagnosis. Congenital spinal and spinal cord malformations referred to as spinal dysraphisms will not be discussed in this article. This pictorial review discusses the imaging findings and distinguishing features of a variety of intramedullary and extramedullary intraspinal cystic lesions with the use of MR imaging, CT, myelography, and sonography.