THE CERVICAL NERVES AND FORAMINA - LOCAL-COIL MR IMAGING

Abstract

A detailed study of the magnetic resonance (MR) appearance of the cervical nerves and neural foramina is presented. Using a "butterfly" local coil and a 1.5-T GE Signa MR system, the authors obtained 3-mm-thick axial, parasagittal, and 45.degree. oblique MR images of the cervical neural foramina in four normal volunteers. For the oblique images, subjects were rotated 45.degree. toward the right posterior oblique. Neural and vascular structures in the foramina were identified by correlation of the MR images with corresponding cryomicrotomic sections from four cadavers. The 45.degree. oblique images were more useful than axial or parasagittal images for demonstrating anatomic relations in the neural foramina. MR imaging with local coils demonstrates the complex anatomy of cervical neural foramina in various planes.