title: [Longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesion: etiology and imaging features].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the etiologies and imaging features of longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesion (LESCL).
  
  
  METHODS
  The etiologies and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of 51 hospitalized LESCL patients from January 2011 to August 2013 were reviewed and retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among them, the causes were neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD, n = 25), isolated longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (n = 6), subacute combined degeneration (n = 4), multiple sclerosis (MS, n = 3), paraneoplastic myelopathy (n = 3), anterior spinal artery syndrome (n = 3), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (n = 2), spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (n = 2), intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (n = 1), myelopathic leukemia (n = 1) and syringomyelus (n = 1). For MR imaging, at least one lesion of each patient presented continuously longitudinal profile and whole-length spinal cord was involved in 11 patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LESCL may be caused by various diseases. And the imaging features may aid its diagnosis despite a lack of specificity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Yujuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Weihe
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoxuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zunjing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Renbin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Email: jiao_jinsong@163.com.
authors.forename: Jinsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiao
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases