title: [Importance of whole body MRI for staging of colorectal cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Staging and follow-up of colorectal cancer are usually performed with multimodal imaging strategies. These can be time-intensive and potentially lead to examiner-dependent bias. Alternatively, whole body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) provides oncologic imaging with a systemic approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ultrasound, multislice computed tomography (MSCT), dedicated MRI and positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT).
  
  
  METHODS
  High-resolution WB-MRI with focused examination of various organs, such as the pelvis and abdomen, lungs, brain and skeletal system, using different sequence and contrast techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  Detection of colorectal tumor recurrence with WB-MRI provides 83% accuracy (lymph node metastases 80%, organ metastases 86%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Potential cost reduction through decreased examination time and personnel costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whole body MRI is a radiation-free alternative to standard sequential algorithms of staging and follow-up of colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Institut für klinische Radiologie, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Campus Großhadern, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, München, Deutschland. gerwin.schmidt@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*