MR imaging of infections of the cervical spine

Spine infections are serious clinical conditions that carry high morbidity and mortality rates. Cervical spine infections usually require a more aggressive medical and surgical approach than infections in the rest of the spine. Often, more than one anatomic structure or compartment becomes affected. Topics discussed in this article include incidence and predisposing factors of spine infections, types of micro-organisms involved in several disease conditions, pathophysiology and clinical manifestations, and imaging findings and MR imaging features.