Background: There may be various causative factors for the spinal paraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered very useful for differential diagnosis.
Objective: To check the usefulness of MRI imaging in differential diagnosis of nontraumatic spinal paraparesis at our institute.
Materials and Methods: Fifty patients of nontraumatic spinal paraparesis were included in the study. MRI was performed as per the standard protocol. Sociodemographic findings and MRI findings were recorded on the predesigned pro forma. Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency and percentages were reported.
Result: The most common causative factor of paraparesis in this study was tuberculosis of spine (34%). Metastases were observed in nine (18%) patients, trauma in eight (16%), transverse myelitis in eight (16%), spondylosis in three (6%), spinal cord tumors (including neurofibroma, meningioma, dermoid, and astrocytoma) in four (8%), and central cause in one (2%).
Conclusion: MRI is a very useful imaging technique for differential diagnosis of spinal paraparesis at our institute.
Key words: Magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, spinal paraparesis, spinal tuberculosis, spinal tumor
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