Childhood transverse myelitis and its mimics.

Childhood transverse myelitis is an acute inflammatory disorder of the spinal cord with a risk of permanent disability. A timely and accurate diagnosis is imperative, and the radiologist needs to discern between a variety of extra-axial and spinal cord abnormalities that produce similar symptoms but require vastly differing treatments. This article presents the range of imaging characteristics seen in childhood transverse myelitis and the differentiation from its mimics.