Can you have sarcoidosis in your spine?

Spinal sarcoidosis is relatively uncommon and can manifest as intramedullary lesions, intradural extramedullary or extradural lesions, cauda equina syndrome, and arachnoiditis.

What is spinal sarcoidosis?

Neurosarcoidosis is a form of sarcoidosis. It is a long-term (chronic) disease of the central nervous system, which encompasses the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve, and is characterized by inflammation within one or more of those areas.

Does neurosarcoidosis show up on MRI?

Neurosarcoidosis has a wide spectrum of imaging features that mimic both benign and malignant conditions. Virtually any portion of the central nervous system and associated structures can be affected. MRI is highly sensitive for detecting neurosarcoidosis, but is not specific.

Can a spinal MRI be used to diagnose sarcoidosis?

Despite all this, the specific cause of a LETM can be very challenging to diagnose. In this case, the chest findings on spinal MRI prompted further evaluation for sarcoidosis, which allowed for correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment. This illustrates the importance of looking at the whole scan when reporting spinal MRI.

How is sarcoidosis of the spinal cord treated?

In this case, the chest findings on spinal MRI prompted further evaluation for sarcoidosis, which allowed for correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment. This illustrates the importance of looking at the whole scan when reporting spinal MRI. 1.

How are MRIs used to diagnose spinal cord disease?

Intramedullary cord hyperintensity at T2-weighted MRI is a common imaging feature of disease in the spinal cord, but it is nonspecific. Radiologists play a valuable role in helping narrow the differential diagnosis by integrating patient history and laboratory test results with key imaging characteristics.

What are the imaging manifestations of neurosarcoidosis?

Imaging Manifestations of Neurosarcoidosis. Patients with systemic disease may initially present with neurologic symptoms, and rarely, disease may be isolated to the central nervous system. The typical imaging feature is thickening and enhancement of the leptomeninges, especially around the base of the brain.