Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery  2015;7(4):515-518

doi:10.4055/cios.2015.7.4.515

Unique Imaging Features of Spinal Neurenteric Cyst.

Hyoung Seok JUNG 1 ; Sang Min PARK ; Gang Un KIM ; Mi Kyung KIM ; Kwang Sup SONG

Affiliations

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Keywords

Spinal cord; Neoplasm; Neuroenteric cyst; Magnetic resonance imaging

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

A 50-year-old male presented with acutely progressed paraplegia. His magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated two well-demarcated components with opposite signals in one cystic lesion between the T1- and T2-weighted images at the T1 spine level. The patient showed immediately improved neurological symptoms after surgical intervention and the histopathological exam was compatible with a neurenteric cyst. On operation, two different viscous drainages from the cyst were confirmed. A unique similarity of image findings was found from a review of the pertinent literature. The common findings of spinal neurenteric cyst include an isointense or mildly hyperintense signal relative to cerebrospinal fluid for both T1- and T2-weighted images. However, albeit rarer, the signals of some part of the cyst could change into brightly hyperintensity on T1-weighted images and hypointensity on T2-weighted images due to the differing sedimentation of the more viscous contents in the cyst.