Fig. 3

Exemplary MR-images of irradiation-induced morphological alterations outside the spinal cord compared to respective non-irradiated age-matched controls. Native T1-weighted images of the irradiated rat cervical spinal cord (C1–6) show a hyperintense signal in the vertebral body (yellow arrows) due to bone marrow conversion. T1-weighted images post contrast agent (CA) injection of irradiated animals show CA accumulation in the musculature dorsal and ventral to the spinal cord (blue asterisks) compared to the native T1-weighted. Age-matched control animals of each treatment arm accumulated no CA