[Correlation of MRI and histopathology of bone marrow in patients with multiple myeloma].
OBJECTIVE
To compare MRI findings and histological plasmacellular infiltration of the bone marrow in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).


METHODS
Twenty-four patients with different stages of MM underwent 1.5T MRI of the pelvic bone before iliac crest punch biopsy. Precontrast T1wSE and STIR and postcontrast (Gd-DTPA) T1wSE-fatsat were acquired using axial slices. Immediately after the biopsy, T1wSE was repeated to locate the biopsy canal. The corresponding region in the examination before punch biopsy was assessed for bone marrow involvement using a three-point score (0: negative, 1: suspect, 2: definite).


RESULTS
Two patients were not included because the location of the biopsy canal was unclear. Of 7 patients without histological plasmacellular infiltration, MRI was false positive in one case (suspect). Of 15 patients with histological infiltration, MRI was positive in 10 cases (4 suspect, 6 definite). The T1wSE was positive in 9 cases, STIR in 8 cases, and postcontrast T1wSE-fatsat in 7 cases. In 10 of the 15 patients, the infiltration was histologically graded as low (5 - 20 % of bone marrow). In this group, MRI was only positive in 5 cases (3 suspect, 2 definite). Of five patients with the infiltration histologically graded as high (> 20 % of bone marrow), MRI was positive in all cases (1 suspect, 4 definite).


CONCLUSIONS
Only advanced bone marrow infiltration in MM can be reliably detected by MRI. None of the used sequences proved to be significantly superior or inferior.
Wasser
K
K
Radiologie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimerfeld 280, 69120 Heidelberg. klaus.wasser@rad.ma.uni-heidelberg.de
Moehler
T
T
Nosas-Garcia
S
S
Rehm
C
C
Bartl
R
R
Goldschmidt
H
H
Düber
C
C
Kauczor
H U
HU
Delorme
S
S
D000368:Aged; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic