A limited range, high detail scan covering between the foramen magnum and T2 for general purpose imaging of symptoms suspected to originate in the cervical spine.
A number of variations of this study cover more specialist situations (see below).
Positioning
The patient lies supine on the scan table with the neck extended to a neutral position. It is important to ensure comfort as motion artefact can be problematic. Some patients with known C-spine pathology will require pillow padding in the cervical lordosis. This should not affect scan quality.
Basic scan
- Upper spine coil array
- FOV to cover between the foramen magnum and C2
- Saturation band placed over trachea / oesophagus
- Sagittal images must scan out far enough lateral to include at least 2 slices beyond neural foramen
| Sequence |
|---|
| T2 Sagittal |
| T1 Sagittal |
| T2 SSFP SPACE Axial |
Additional STIR sequence
- Useful in trauma to improve detection of bone marrow oedema
- Suspected infection
- With metalwork use a higher bandwidth STIR sequence.
| Sequence |
|---|
| T2 STIR Sagittal |
Post Contrast Imaging
- Reserved for specialist referrer
- Suspected infection and some postoperative imaging
| Sequence |
|---|
| T2 STIR Sagittal |
| T1 Sagittal post Gd |
| T1 Axial Post Gd |