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Fig 5. Axial in vivo MR imaging scans of contused rat spinal cord. In vivo MR axial scans in adult rats 6 weeks postinjury (2D multisection gradient-echo; section thickness, 370 µm; FOV, 20 x 20 mm; in-plane resolution, 78 x 78 µm; TE, 4.2 milliseconds; TR, 
200 milliseconds, depending on heart rate). Scale bar, 2 mm. Scans rostral to the contusion (A–C), at the lesion center (D–G), and caudal to the lesion (H). The clear differentiation between white and gray matter disappears over subsequent sections. At the lesion center, hypointensities are surrounded by hyperintensities, which are less pronounced toward the cord surface (E and F). The dorsal aspect of the spinal cord at the lesion site appears more homogenously hyperintensive, most likely representing cystic changes (D and E, arrowheads). Signs of atrophy are present in the dorsolateral spinal cord (E and F).
