MR imaging in the follow-up of malignant and aggressive soft-tissue tumors: results of 511 examinations.
OBJECTIVE
To present magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings from 511 follow-up examinations of aggressive soft-tissue tumors.


METHODS
One hundred eighty-two patients with aggressive soft-tissue tumours underwent postoperative T1- and T2-weighted imaging; 41 also underwent 51 gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted examinations, and five underwent dynamic gadolinium-enhanced subtraction imaging.


RESULTS
Twenty-four of 25 patients (101 of 102 examinations) without high signal intensity (HSI) at T2-weighted imaging had no recurrence. Among 79 patients (321 examinations) who demonstrated HSI without a mass, only two tumors recurred within 1 year. An HSI mass was found in 88 studies of 78 patients and represented recurrence (n = 60), hygroma (n = 24), or a radiation-induced pseudomass (n = 4). Hygromas did not enhance, while recurrences enhanced at 1-3 minutes and postirradiation change enhanced at 4-7 minutes.


CONCLUSIONS
T2-weighted imaging can be used to identify possible recurrence of aggressive soft-tissue tumors, while gadolinium-enhanced imaging can be used to differentiate recurrences from hygromas and inflammatory change.
Vanel
D
D
Department of Radiology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
Shapeero
L G
LG
De Baere
T
T
Gilles
R
R
Tardivon
A
A
Genin
J
J
Guinebretière
J M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy