Table 3.

Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics in 27 patients with primary spinal epidural abscess

Characteristics	Frequency (%)
Region of spine
Thoracic  Thoracolumbar  Lumbar  Lumbosacral	9(33.3) 5(18.5) 12(44.4) 1(3.7)
No. of affected levels
2  3  4	6(22.2) 12(44.4) 9(33.3)
Location of abscess relative to thecal sac
Ventral  Dorsal	15(55.6) 12(44.4)
Signal intensity  T1WI
hypo-intense   iso-intense  T2WI	23(85) 4(15)
hyperintense  Contrast enhanced*	27(100)
ring-enhanced   homogeneous	13(87) 2(13)
Vertebrae body edema Confined intraspinal Paraspinal extension	4(14.8) 25(92.6) 2(7.4)

T1WI, T1-weighted imaging; T2WI, T2-weighted imaging

*Fifteen patients underwent contrast-enhanced imaging