Syrinx-like artifacts on MR images of the spinal cord

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the spinal cord frequently demonstrates, especially on sagittal sections, a central stripe that mimics a true syrinx. This syrinx-like manifestation of a truncation artifact occurs in objects having a width of only a few pixels and was demonstrated by calculations verified with phantom MR images. Healthy volunteers and two patients with a syrinx and cervical spondylosis, respectively, underwent MR imaging. By increasing the number of phase-encoding steps, decreasing the field of view, and switching phase- and frequency-encoding axes, the syrinx-like artifact can be eliminated.