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

Conference · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 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-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States) Journal Volume: 145:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550602* -- Medicine-- External Radiation in Diagnostics-- (1980-)
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BLOOD VESSELS
BODY
BODY AREAS
BRONCHI
CARCINOMAS
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
CHEST
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
LUNGS
LYMPH NODES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
MAGNETIC RESONANCE
MEDIASTINUM
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
ORGANS
PATIENTS
RESONANCE
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
TOMOGRAPHY