title: Cardiac masses: signal intensity features on spin-echo, gradient-echo, gadolinium-enhanced spin-echo, and TurboFLASH images.
abstract: Fifteen patients with cardiac or paracardiac masses underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with spin-echo (n = 15), cine gradient-echo (n = 15), gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced spin-echo (n = 15), and TurboFLASH (fast low-angle shot) (n = 7) sequences. All masses had either histologic confirmation (n = 11) or confirmation with other imaging modalities (n = 4). Myxomas (n = 6) were characterized by an intermediate signal intensity (SI) on spin-echo (n = 6) and low SI on cine gradient-echo (n = 6) images and moderately high-SI contrast enhancement (n = 5). Percent contrast enhancement for myxomas was 57% +/- 11%. Thrombus (n = 4) had intermediate (n = 3) or high (n = 1) SI on spin-echo images and low (n = 2) or intermediate (n = 2) SI on gradient-echo images and did not show substantial contrast enhancement. Postcontrast first-pass TurboFLASH images were useful by clearly demonstrating the nonenhancing mass lesion in a high-SI blood pool. Other cardiac and paracardiac tumors (n = 5) showed variable pre- and postcontrast spin-echo SI; however, no other tumor showed low SI on cine gradient-echo images.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, St Boniface General Hospital MRI Facility, Winnipeg, Man., Canada.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Semelka
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Shoenut
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Pellech
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Patton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009232:Myxoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA