3-T MRI: usefulness for evaluating primary lung cancer and small nodules in lobes not containing primary tumors.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of 3-T MRI in the detection and characterization of primary non-small cell lung cancer and of small nodules in lobes not containing primary tumors.


METHODS
From July 2005 to May 2006, 127 patients (99 men, 28 women; mean age, 63 years) with histopathologically proven non-small cell lung cancer underwent both CT and MRI of the chest. Transverse MR images were obtained with T1-weighted 3D turbo field-echo and T2-weighted triple inversion black blood turbo spin-echo sequences on a 3-T MRI system. Two chest radiologists assessed CT images and then MR images. The morphologic features of lung cancer and the detectability of small nodules in lobes not containing primary tumors on MR images were compared with the findings on CT images, which were the reference standard.


RESULTS
The morphologic characteristics of primary cancer found on both T1- and T2-weighted images corresponded to those on CT images. The overall rates of detection of nodules in lobes not containing primary tumors were 57% (184 of 323 nodules) and 56% (180 of 323 nodules) on T1- and T2-weighted images, respectively (p = 0.64). In terms of detection of non-calcified nodules 5-10 mm in diameter, both T1- and T2-weighted images had a detection rate of 92% (48 of 52 nodules) (p = 1.00).


CONCLUSIONS
Both T1-weighted 3D turbo field-echo and T2-weighted triple inversion black blood turbo spin-echo 3-T MR images depict clinically significant small (5-10 mm in diameter) noncalcified pulmonary nodules nearly as well as do CT scans.
Yi
Chin A
CA
Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Ilwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea.
Jeon
Tae Yeon
TY
Lee
Kyung Soo
KS
Lee
Jung Hee
JH
Seo
Joon Beom
JB
Kim
Yoon Kyung
YK
Chung
Myung Jin
MJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007479:Iopamidol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D003287:Contrast Media; C057937:iomeprol; D007479:Iopamidol