Spinal cystic schwannoma: an MRI evaluation

ABSTRACT

Spinal cystic schwannomas are a very rare entity and have been reported in only a few case reports in literature; its diagnosis and management has remained a challenge. This study reviewed the results of magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] of 12 patients [7 men and 5 women; aged 37 - 67 years; mean age 52.75 years] with pathologically proven cystic schwannoma of the spine and discussed their differential diagnosis. All patients underwent surgery at our institutions between June 2000 and April 2012. MRI showed well-delineated intradural and extramedullary lesion of iso- to low signal intensity on T1 weighted images, high signal intensity on T2 weighted images, and rim enhancement on contrastenhanced images. A precise understanding of the MRI features of spinal schwannomas, especially the typical characteristic of enhancement, may help clinicians in their pre-operative diagnoses and surgical planning