Spine MRI

MRI of the spine at the Radiodiagnostic Department of Vojenská nemocnice Olomouc covers all three segments — cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (lower back) — in dedicated examinations without ionising radiation. Spine MRI is the diagnostic standard for back pain, neck pain, sciatica, disc herniation, spinal stenosis and nerve root compression, providing direct visualisation of intervertebral discs, the spinal cord, nerve roots and surrounding soft tissues at a level of detail unavailable with X-ray or ultrasound. Self-pay patients book without a referral. A written radiologist report is included with every examination.

Spinal MRI generates detailed images of the vertebral column and its contents using multi-planar, multi-sequence acquisition — without the radiation dose associated with CT or plain radiography. The modality is particularly valuable because it directly visualises soft-tissue structures: the nucleus pulposus (identifying herniation and extrusion), the annulus fibrosus (annular tears and disruption), the spinal cord and conus medullaris (myelopathy, inflammatory lesions, cord compression), nerve root sleeves (radiculopathy, foraminal stenosis), and the ligamentum flavum and facet joints (hypertrophy causing canal stenosis). None of these is adequately characterised by X-ray or ultrasound alone. At Vojenská nemocnice Olomouc, spine MRI is performed per segment. The most frequently requested study is the lumbar spine (L1–S1), which covers the region responsible for most sciatica, disc herniation and degenerative canal stenosis. The protocol typically includes sagittal T1, sagittal T2, axial T2 at the disc levels of interest, and sagittal STIR (fat-suppressed, highlighting bone marrow oedema, spondylitis or insufficiency fractures). The cervical spine (C1–C7) is the second most common request, covering neck pain with or without radiculopathy, myelopathy, and post-traumatic assessment. Thoracic spine studies are less frequent but important for thoracic disc disease, vertebral body lesions and spinal cord pathology at mid-back level. When two or three contiguous segments are required — for example full-spine assessment for scoliosis or suspected widespread pathology — a multi-segment study can be arranged at booking. The radiologist will select and tailor sequences to the clinical indication described at scheduling. Contrast enhancement is used in specific clinical scenarios: post-operative spine assessment (gadolinium distinguishes enhancing recurrent disc from non-enhancing epidural scar, which appears similar on non-contrast sequences), suspected inflammatory spinal disease (discitis/osteomyelitis shows characteristic endplate signal and enhancement), and metastatic or primary spinal tumour evaluation. Most modern spinal implants — titanium pedicle screws, intervertebral cages, rod systems — are MRI-conditional and can be scanned at 1.5 T or 3 T with appropriate protocols and manufacturer documentation. Patients with any spinal hardware should provide the implant card or the make, model and year of the implant system at the time of booking so that MR compatibility can be confirmed before the appointment. Artificial disc prostheses are also generally MRI-conditional but require individual verification. No preparation is required for standard (non-contrast) spine MRI. Patients may eat, drink and take medications normally. They should remove metal objects from the clothing over the spine region and wear comfortable, loose-fitting attire — or change into a hospital gown. The scan takes 30–45 minutes of table time per segment. Following the examination, the written radiologist report is available on the same day or within 1–2 working days.