Contrast Radiography Of the Spinal Cord

Abstract

"... the spinal subarachnoid space was full of air, and in this column of air the shadow of the spinal cord was very distinct."—Dandy So wrote Dandy²⁹ in his classical report in 1919 to open the new field of contrast radiographic investigation—spinal cord myelography.^* Two years later, myelography was first used to diagnose spinal tumors.^62,144 Subsequently, many different contrast media were introduced—iodized oils¹²¹ (1922), methiodal⁶ (1931), colloidal thorium dioxide¹⁰⁸ (1932), iodophendylate (Pantopaque)^109,128 (1944), meglumine iothalamate (Conray)²⁵ (1962) and SH—617L^{‡ 140,150} (1963)—many technical refinements of the procedures occurred,^99,111 and the radiographic findings in pathological conditions were thoroughly described.^{23,83,99,102,142} It has, thus, become possible to localize spinal tumors by a number of methods with a high degree of accuracy^† (Table 1). Atrophic conditions of the cord have also been recognized radiographically (Table 2). Despite these developments, however, early expansive or atrophie alterations