title: Leptomeningeal metastasis: a comparison of gadolinium-enhanced MR and contrast-enhanced CT of the brain.
abstract: We evaluated 14 consecutive patients with leptomeningeal metastasis prospectively, using both T1-weighted (T1W) gadolinium-DTPA-enhanced MR (Gd-MR) and contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT). Thirteen had positive CSF cytology; the remaining patient had an atypical CSF lymphocytosis and primary CNS lymphoma. The patients (8M/6F) ranged in age from 8 to 70 years (median, 42 years). Tumor histology included 3 systemic and 2 primary CNS lymphomas, 3 breast carcinomas, 2 leukemias, 1 malignant schwannoma, 1 small cell lung cancer, 1 prostate cancer, and 1 melanoma. Both imaging methods demonstrated parenchymal volume loss equally well in all patients. Gd-MR revealed abnormal enhancement of meninges or parenchyma in 10 patients, including all 5 patients with positive CE-CT. Neither technique revealed any foci of abnormal enhancement in 4 patients. Gd-MR was superior to CE-CT in demonstrating and quantifying enhancing subarachnoid and parenchymal nodules in 6 patients and in demonstrating sulcal, dural, cisternal, tentorial, and ependymal enhancement. Our findings indicate that T1W Gd-MR is the preferred imaging modality in leptomeningeal metastasis and suggest that CE-CT is unnecessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego 92103.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chamberlain
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sandy
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Press
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001099:Arachnoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D010841:Pia Mater / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA