Viral infection of the spinal cord and roots

Hajime Yokota; Kei Yamada

doi:10.1016/j.nic.2015.01.005

Viral infection of the spinal cord and roots

Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2015 May;25(2):247-58. doi: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.01.005. Epub 2015 Mar 3.

Authors

Hajime Yokota¹, Kei Yamada²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan. Electronic address: hjmykt@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp.
² Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

PMID: 25952176
DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.01.005

Abstract

This article summarizes myelopathy and radiculopathy caused by different viruses. The cases described are divided into three categories: acute myelitis and radiculitis, postinfectious myelopathy and radiculopathy, and chronic myelopathy. Some diseases present with characteristic imaging findings. For example, varicella zoster virus tends to injure the dorsal column, whereas poliovirus tends to injure the frontal horns. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is an essential tool in diagnosis. However, because imaging findings are often nonspecific, consideration of a combination of diagnostic procedures, including the clinical course, symptoms, and laboratory data, is necessary for making a correct diagnosis.

Keywords: MR imaging; Myelopathy; Radiculopathy; Spinal cord.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Central Nervous System Viral Diseases / diagnosis*
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Spinal Cord / pathology
Spinal Cord / virology*
Spinal Diseases / diagnosis*
Spinal Diseases / pathology
Spinal Diseases / virology*
Spinal Nerve Roots / pathology
Spinal Nerve Roots / virology*
Virus Diseases / diagnosis