 Interval postsurgical changes of spinal decompression are seen with laminectomy at the T8 level and partially at the T7 level. Susceptibility artifact from posterior fusion hardware, which extends from the T6 to the T10 levels, slightly limits evaluation however the spinal cord appears well decompressed.There is diffuse marrow infiltration involving the T8 vertebral body extending into the residual bilateral posterior elements. There is also subtle signal abnormality involving the anterior superior aspect of the T9 vertebral body which may be related to an additional lesion or possibly sequela of a mild compression fracture. Mild pathologic fracture of T8 also again evident. Remainder of the vertebral body heights are maintained. Alignment is maintained. Tumor extends to the left T8 costovertebral junction as seen on prior CT. No lesions are seen within the remainder of the thoracic spine. Extent of epidural tumor which appeared to extend from the T7 to the T9 level was better assessed on preoperative MRI without susceptibility artifact from the hardware. Tumor infiltration involving the left T7-T8 and bilateral T8-T9 neural foramina was also better seen previously and at least partially resected. No cord signal abnormality.
1. Expected postsurgical changes of spinal canal decompression and posterior T6-T10 fusion with the spinal canal now well decompressed.2. Susceptibility artifact from the hardware limits evaluation, and the epidural tumor was better seen previously extending from the T7 to the upper T9 levels and involved the T7-T8 and T8-T9 neural foramina. There is at least partial interval resection of the epidural tumor.3. Signal abnormality involving the anterior superior aspect of T9 may be related to a mild compression fracture which was also present previously although metastatic lesion in this location is not excluded. No additional lesions elsewhere in the spine are definitively appreciated.