Magnetic resonance imaging reveals the morphological changes of the spinal cord in the early and late periods following vertebral and spinal cord injuries. Edema frequently accompanied by squeezing and displacement of the spinal cord by the elements of broken vertebrae and disks, which are dislocated into the lumen of the spinal canal is the most common change in the early period. In the late period, there is myelomalacia that progresses to cerebrospinal cyst. End-state injury is characterized by spinal atrophy, intra- and extramedullar cerebrospinal cysts and adhesive changes in the spinal canal.