title: [MR imaging of gastric wall layers in vitro: correlation to thehistologic wall structure].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate gastric wall layers visible of MRI with the anatomical structure of the gastric wall.
  
  
  METHODS
  After macroscopic preparation 5 x 5 cm post-mortem tissue sections of the gastric antrum were evaluated using a 2.4 Tesla MR unit (Bruker, Ettlingen, Germany). MR imaging consisted of T2-weighted multi-spinecho sequences in longitudinal and axial directions. The specimens then were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological examination. After that histological correlation of the gastric wall layers visible on MRI was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all specimens four gastric wall layers could be clearly identified on MRI. The direct comparison of those layers to the histological findings showed the following correlation: 1) intermediate signal = mucosa, 2) hypointense signal = lamina muscularis mucosae, 3) hyperintense signal = submucosa, 4) intermediate signal = muscularis propria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gastric wall layers visible on MRI were successfully correlated to the anatomic layers of the gastric wall. This allows us for the first time to classify invasion of gastric carcinoma using high spatial-resolution MR imaging. However, the subserosa and serosa are excluded from this conclusion, because so far a reliable statement concerning the value of MRI to depict these very variable layers is not possible.
authors.affiliation: Radiologische Klinik, Abteilung Radiodiagnostik, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lubienski
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grenacher
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reith
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schipp
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mechtersheimer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Düx
mesh_terms: D002102:Cadaver; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006652:Histological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011706:Pyloric Antrum / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013270:Stomach / Q000033:anatomy & histology*