Incidence of Intra-Spinal and Extra-Spinal MRI Abnormalities in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Indications for the routine use of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) remain controversial. Previous studies have reported an incidence of intra-spinal MRI abnormalities between 2.8% and 28%; however, none of these studies comment on the incidence of extra-spinal abnormalities. A large prospective study concluded that patients with clinical and radiographic diagnosis of AIS should not have preoperative MRI.
Source: The Spine Journal - Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Source Type: research