Magnetic resonance imaging of mediastinal and hilar masses: comparison with CT

Conference · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985 · AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5437936

Levitt, R G; Glazer, H S; Roper, C L; Lee, J K.T.; Murphy, W A

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was compared to computed tomography (CT) of the mediastinum and/or hila in 37 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma (35 unresectable for cure) and 11 patients with other masses. Spin-echo pulse sequences using a short pulse repetition rate (TR) and short echo delay (TE) were most helpful for detection of abnormal soft-tissue mediastinal and hilar masses. The accuracy of MRI and CT in staging bronchogenic carcinoma for curative resectability/nonresectability was comparable. Several pitfalls in MRI evaluation of the mediastinum were identified. By MRI the esophagus may be misinterpreted as an enlarged retrotracheal lymph node unless serial scans are studied. Small adjacent lymph nodes shown individually by CT may appear as a single enlarged lymph node by MRI due to partial-volume averaging. Because of the requirement for patient selection and the identified pitfalls of MRI, CT remains the radiologic procedure of choice in the staging of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma and the evaluation of other mediastinal and hilar masses at present. However, because of the ability to show blood vessels without an intravascular contrast agent, MRI is useful in evaluating patients with potential contrast allergy and solving diagnostic problems not solved by CT.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ. School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
• OSTI ID: 5437936
• Report Number(s): CONF-860416-; TRN: 85-020391
• Journal Information: AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States), Vol. 145:1; Conference: ARRS meeting, Washington, DC, USA, 14 Apr 1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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