Value of whole-body turbo short tau inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging with panoramic table for detecting bone metastases: comparison with 99MTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy and reliability of whole-body turbo short tau inversion recovery (STIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting skeletal metastasis and to compare the results with those of bone scintigraphy.


METHODS
Twenty-six patients with primary cancer (mean age=56 years, age range: 34-75 years) were assessed for bone metastasis with whole-body MRI and bone scintigraphy. Eight bone regions in each patient were assessed (total of 208 sites) with each of these 2 techniques. A turbo STIR sequence and panoramic table were used during MRI. Whole-body MRI and scintigraphy findings were compared with biopsy or follow-up imaging results.


RESULTS
After at least 12 months of follow-up, 9 patients had bone metastases in a total of 31 sites. Whole-body MRI showed 29 metastases (94%) in the total 208 skeletal sites investigated in the 26 patients. Bone scintigraphy revealed metastases in 16 (52%) of the 208 sites.


CONCLUSIONS
Whole-body turbo STIR MRI is a reliable method for screening patients with suspected skeletal metastases. This technique is also advantageous in that it reveals extraskeletal organ and soft tissue metastases.
Frat
Ali
A
Department of Radiology, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Bahçelievler-Ankara, Turkey. dralifirat@yahoo.com
Ağildere
Muhtesem
M
Gençoğlu
Arzu
A
Cakir
Banu
B
Akin
Oguz
O
Akcali
Zafer
Z
Aktaş
Ayse
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate