are found. Left untreated, the natural course of the disease leads to paraplegia and death [1 -9]. Paraplegia results from compression of the spinal cord or cauda equina by the epidural mass or from thrombophlebitis of the spinal epidural veins resulting in venous infarction of the spinal cord. Death is a result of septicemia. The prognosis for survival and prevention of serious neurologic deficit relates to the rapidity with which appropriate decompression and antibiotic therapy are instituted. The neurologic deficit is less likely to be reversible the more severe and the longer it has been present. Thus, many authors have recognized that prompt and early diagnosis is critical to the management of this potentially curable disease [1-13]. We recently encountered four patients with spinal epidural infections (three pyogenic, one tuberculous) in whom MR imaging of the spine led to expeditious treatment and better clinical outcome. Materials and Methods Four patients with spinal epidural infections (three Staphylococcus aureus, one Mycobacterium tuberculosis)were examined with MR imaging. MR was performed on a GE Signa system with a 1.5-T superconducting CT scans of the spine were obtained on a Siemens DR3 Somatom or Picker 1200 SX unit. Radiographs of the spine were available in all cases.

No abstract