Cervical Spine MRI

Scan Coverage and Planning

Cervical Spine Anatomy page in development.

Sagittal Plane

On the axial and dorsal scout imaging, plan the slices parallel to the center of the spinal cord. On the sagittal scout image, center the FOV on C5. For each patient, the FOV should be re-sized to include the Cerebellum to include the T3 vertebral body. On the dorsal scout image, add enough slices to cover the entire vertebral body out to the transverse processes. Be sure to use an ODD number of slices. This will ensure that the center slice is in true midline.

Axial Plane

There are two common variations for planning axial slices in the cervical spine, parallel to the intervertebral disc or perpendicular to the spinal cord. Both variations will yield diagnostic images, so be sure to check clinician preference. In the image below, axial slices prescribed parallel to the disc are in orange, and slices prescribed perpendicular to the cord are in yellow.