title: Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of primary intraspinal peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of our study was to describe the salient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in primary intraspinal peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of the clinical and MRI images of 7 pathologically proven cases of intraspinal peripheral PNETs was performed. The various parameters, such as vertebral level of involvement; tumour location, size, focality, and margin; signal intensity of the lesion; the presence of hemorrhage or calcification; any signal voids; assessment of the adjacent cord for cord compression; cord dilatation; the presence of paraspinal tissue mass; or vertebral or other bony changes, were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 7 patients had lesions in the thoracolumbar region. Three patients had extradural lesions, 4 had intradural extramedullary lesions, and none had intramedullary lesions. Six lesions were well circumscribed. Only 1 patient had multifocal involvement. All lesions were of hypointense or isointense signal on T1-weighted imaging, whereas all but one were hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging. Lesions enhanced heterogeneously except 1 intradural extramedullary lesion, which enhanced homogeneously. A paraspinal mass was noticed in 2 patients. Vertebral collapse was present in 1 patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intraspinal peripheral PNETs are rare spinal tumours. Although imaging characteristics are not specific, a focal circumscribed lesion in a young individual at the intramedullary, extramedullary intradural, or extradural spinal location that shows hypointense and hyperintense signal on T1- and T2-weighted images, respectively, requires PNET to be considered in the differentials.
authors.affiliation: Department of MRI, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China. wuguangy2002@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Guangyao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Prasanna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ghimire
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Aparajita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baral
authors.forename: Jiajia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015588:Observer Variation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000473:pathology; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013131:Spine / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult