DWI of the Spine: A Review and Update

The utility of DWI in the spine has been established and continues to grow in clinical practice. DWI raises the MR imaging sensitivity of lesion detection and improves the conspicuity of many spinal pathologies. Applications include evaluation of spinal cord infarction, bone marrow lesions, infection, degenerative disease, trauma, osteoporosis, malignancy, and response to therapy. In this article, we provide a case-based review to illustrate and discuss these uses. We also highlight DWI acquisition techniques and challenges. We provide protocol optimization tips that help to overcome these challenges and permit incorporation of DWI into the workflow.

Learning Objective: To emphasize the role of DWI in the spine and discuss technical tips and considerations for protocol optimization