ESSR-ESNR Spine Issue

We were honored to be asked to serve as guest editors of an issue of Seminars of Musculoskeletal Radiology dedicated to imaging of the spine based on the European Course on Spinal Radiology jointly organized by the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) and the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR).

Because diagnostic imaging of the spine and spinal intervention is at the crossroads between neuroradiology and musculoskeletal radiology, a task force composed of Johan Van Goethem, Luigi Manfré, Onur Yeniyigit (ESNR), Antoine Feydy, Maria Tzalonikou, and Filip Vanhoenacker (ESSR) launched the idea in November 2018 of organizing a high-quality joint course on spinal imaging and image-guided intervention. The aim was to cover all aspects of spinal imaging in a 2-year cycle, consisting of two modules, adding an extra day of hands-on education on image-guided spinal intervention.

The first joint course with lectures by neuroradiologists and musculoskeletal radiologists was held in Malta (2019), followed by another successful meeting in Rome, just before the onset of the COVID pandemic. In 2021, a well-attended virtual meeting was held. The following year, in March 2022, it was time for a new start of on-site meetings, held in beautiful Porto. We are continuing the tradition with a course in Athens.

We are very grateful that the board members of Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology agreed to dedicate a special issue of highlighted articles from our joint meetings, authored by either musculoskeletal radiologists or neuroradiologists.

The first article in this issue focuses on the complications of the rigid spine with emphasis on acute fractures, which are often initially unrecognized, resulting in a delayed diagnosis. Because these fractures are often unstable, with a high rate of neurologic complications and a high morbidity and mortality, early diagnosis is of utmost importance, using the appropriate imaging technique.

The second article deals with the craniocervical junction, which is an underappreciated topic. Kris Mertens and Filip Vanhoenacker provide an extensive overview of the wide range of congenital variants, traumatic, degenerative, inflammatory, and tumoral diseases that may involve this complex anatomical area.

The next article, on the imaging of whiplash by Joris Schollaert et al, evaluates the consequences of this common and difficult problem in insurance medicine because it may be related to a variety of ligamentous injuries, or less frequently, osseous, intervertebral disk, and/or muscular lesions.

Simranjeet Kaur and Radhesh Lalam from the Oswestry group discuss the pathogenesis, imaging features, natural history, and treatment principles of Scheuermann's disease.

Maxime Lacroix et al review the imaging of scoliosis, an important and frequent issue in daily practice.

Anne Cotten and colleagues disclose all the secrets of crystal diseases of the spine, often mimicking infectious spondylodiskitis. The correct diagnosis is facilitated by observing calcifications on computed tomography.

Nick Van den Eede et al describe in detail the many diseases affecting the posterior elements of the spine that are pivotal for maintaining spinal stability, protecting the spinal cord and nerve roots, and enabling movement.

Gennaro D'Anna et al present the results of an international e-mail survey, on behalf of The Lumbar Spine Nomenclature 3.0 Working Group, consisting of a joint task force composed of members of the ESNR, ESSR, American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR), and American Society of Spine Radiology (ASSR).

The next article is dedicated to challenges related to imaging of the pediatric spine, authored by Stijn Schatteman et al.

Rui Duarte Armindo and Pedro Vilela review what every radiologist reporting spinal examinations should know about the vascular anatomy of the spine and spinal cord.

Finally, Iwona Sudoł-Szopińska and distinguished members of the Arthritis Subcommittee of the ESSR provide guidelines on the current role of conventional radiography of the sacroiliac joints in adults and juveniles with suspected axial spondyloarthritis.

We are particularly grateful that all authors provided concise and comprehensive manuscripts illustrated with images of very high quality, resulting in a well-balanced issue on spinal imaging.

We wish you fruitful reading. We believe this issue will enhance cooperation between musculoskeletal radiologists and neuroradiologists and also be of great value to the large community of general radiologists who report spinal examinations, as well as to referring physicians active in the field of the spine.

Filip M. Vanhoenacker, MD, PhD

Radhesh Lalam, MBBS, MRCS, FRCR

Publication History

Article published online:
10 October 2023