Spinal cystic schwannomas are a very rare entity and have been reported in only a few case reports in literature; its diagnosis and management has remained a challenge. This study reviewed the results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 12 patients (7 men and 5 women; aged 37 - 67 years; mean age: 52.75 years) with pathologically proven cystic schwannoma of the spine and discussed their differential diagnosis. All patients underwent surgery at our institutions between June 2000 and April 2012. MRI showed well-delineated intradural and extramedullary lesion of iso- to low signal intensity on T1 weighted images, high signal intensity on T2 weighted images, and rim enhancement on contrast-enhanced images. A precise understanding of the MRI features of spinal schwannomas, especially the typical characteristic of enhancement, may help clinicians in their pre-operative diagnoses and surgical planning.