Supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumours: diffusion-weighted MRI.
We report the clinical and pathological findings of supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs). These are rare, poorly differentiated, highly malignant neoplasms occurring primarily in young individuals. They frequently show dissemination to the spinal cord and sometimes also beyond neuraxis. Preoperative radiological diagnosis is difficult, due to the nonspecific CT and MRI characteristics. Our findings indicate that diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can be used to show the solid portion of the tumour preoperatively and to monitor postsurgical recovery. We describe the MRI findings in three patients with histologically confirmed supratentorial PNET, focussing on the role of DWI for improving the specificity of radiological diagnosis.
Department of Neuroradiology, University of Freiburg, Germany. Klisch@nz11.ukl.uni-freiburg.de
J
J
Klisch
H
H
Husstedt
S
S
Hennings
V
V
von Velthoven
A
A
Pagenstecher
M
M
Schumacher
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D015173:Supratentorial Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery