Fractures of the ankylosed spine: MDCT and MRI with emphasis on individual anatomic spinal structures.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to illustrate the spectrum of MDCT and MRI appearances of spinal fractures in ankylosing spondylitis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. CONCLUSION: Spinal fractures associated with ankylosing spondylitis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis usually involve the three columns of the spine, and injury to the posterior osteoligamentous component is the hallmark of these fractures. Osseous and ligamentous injuries can be accurately visualized and analyzed with MDCT with multiplanar reformation and with MRI.