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Sonographic Duplication Artifact of the Spinal Cord in Infants and Children

Department of Radiology, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California USA.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Eugenio O. Gerscovich, MD, Department of Radiology, University of California, Davis Medical Center, 4860 Y St, Ambulatory Care Center, Suite 3100, Sacramento, CA 95817 USA. E-mail: eogerscovich{at}ucdavis.edu.

Objective. To describe the features of sonographic duplication artifacts that we have occasionally seen when imaging the spinal cord of infants and children, mostly with postrepair myelomeningocele. Methods. Sonography of the spine was performed for the evaluation of neonates with suspected spinal cord abnormalities and of older children in the follow-up of postrepair open-spine defects. Results. Each of our patients had a single spinal cord, but the duplication artifact was seen with 2 brands of scanners and with both linear array and vector array transducers. Conclusions. The finding of duplication artifacts when imaging the spinal cord of infants and children should be recognized as such and should not be misinterpreted as representing diastematomyelia or diplomyelia.

Key Words: diastematomyelia • diplomyelia • double image • duplication artifact • sonography