title: The role of MRI in spinal stab wounds compared with intraoperative findings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spinal stab wound injuries are quite rare and only few patients have been reported on the basis of MRI scan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 25-year-old man was stabbed at C1/2 and had an incomplete Brown-Sequard syndrome. He underwent surgical exploration because of CSF leakage on the fourth day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a follow-up period of 32 months, he was left with a remaining loss of the proprioception of the right foot. We show detailed CT and MR images with the focus on the lesions of the dura and myelon and compared them with intraoperative images. In addition, we contrast our findings with a review of literature published over the last three decades.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI gives the most detailed view of soft tissue lesions in SSWs and is in accordance with our intraoperative findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Christian Doppler Clinic, Paracelsus Medical University, Ignaz Harrer Str. 79, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. s.emich@salk.at
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emich
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Weymayr
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steinbacher
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: McCoy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018437:Brown-Sequard Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*