title: Magnetic resonance imaging of pressure sores in spinal cord injured patients: accuracy in predicting osteomyelitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Identify key magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features that have a significant correlation with osteomyelitis of pressure ulcers in spinal injury patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult patients admitted to the National Spinal Injuries Centre with spinal cord injury (SCI) and signs of pressure ulceration investigated with MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of MRI examinations and clinical records collected over a 4-year period. Images were independently assessed by 2 experienced radiologists for osteomyelitis based on assigned predictive indicators including cortical bone erosion, soft tissue edema, deep collections, heterotopic new bone, hip effusion, and abnormal signal change of the marrow.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-seven patients underwent 41 MRI scans. The prevalence of osteomyelitis was highly correlated with cortical bone erosion (r = 0.84) and abnormal bone marrow changes on T1-weighted images (r = 0.82).
authors: National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital , Aylesbury , UK.
authors: Luis
authors: L
authors: López de Heredia
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Hauptfleisch
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Hughes
authors: Allison
authors: A
authors: Graham
authors: Tom M M
authors: TM
authors: Meagher
keywords: osteomyelitis; pressure ulcers; spinal cord injury