title: Magnetic resonance imaging of female pelvic masses and local recurrent tumors at an ultra low (0.02 T) magnetic field: correlation with computed tomography.
abstract: Pelvic MR (41 patients) and CT (36 patients) examinations were performed on 14 females with a primary pelvic complaint, and on 28 females with a suspicion of local recurrent disease of gynecologic malignant tumor. Benign cystic tumors were found in eight patients, five patients had endometriomas, one had a lymphoma, and one had a small androblastoma. Ten local recurrent tumors were confirmed histopathologically or cytologically. All cysts, one endometrioma, the lymphoma, and six recurrent tumors were detected on images obtained by our ultra low field magnetic unit. The smallest cyst detected was 16 mm in diameter. Small scattered implants of endometriosis were not discerned. The appearance of the tumors did not differ essentially from those described at high magnetic fields. Physical examination detected all 10 recurrent tumors, CT detected 8 of them, and MRI 6 out of 9 cases. The sensitivities of physical examination, CT and MRI to find recurrent diseases were 100%, 80%, and 67%, respectively. Corresponding specificities were 93%, 67%, and 80%. The results indicate that physical examination is most important in recurrent diseases. CT is the basic method for imaging malignant pelvic tumors. MR imaging at 0.02 T magnetic field provides a convenient and inexpensive method for more specific information, if CT findings are equivocal. MRI at 0.02 T is also accurate in detecting benign pelvic masses, but the findings are not very specific.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Varpula
mesh_terms: D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010048:Ovarian Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010386:Pelvic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data