Keywords:
Genital / Reproductive system female, Genital / Reproductive system male, Pelvis
Authors:
S. Serter, G. S. Yilmaz, G. Pekindil, T. Guvenal, A. R. Kandiloglu; Manisa/TR
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2010/C-3300
Conclusion
The role of MRI in gynecologic mass which were the great part of pelvic mass has been increased. Endometrial carcinoma is the fourth most common female cancer and the most common malignancy of the female reproductive tract. MRI is not officially incorporated in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system, but is already widely accepted as the most reliable imaging technique for the diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, and follow-up of endometrial cancer (1,2,3) Cervical carsinoma is the third most common gynecologic malignancy (9,10) which was suggested for staging by MRI. We did not evaluate about staging of endometrial and cervical carsinoma in our study. But 4 endometrial carsinoma and 3 cervical carsinoma have been dignosed by dynamic examination and digital subtraction technique. . The lymph node metastases as a bad prognostic factor were proved by digital substruction technique ın 2 patients with cervical carsinoma.The reported accuracy rate for CT in detecting pelvic node metastasis in patients with uterine cervical carcinoma ranged between 83 and 90%, while the rate for MRI was between 86 and 90% (11,12). A combination of morphologic and functional techniques or multitracer PET studies may improve detecting lymph node metastases sensitivity further (13). We did not have any data for evaluating lymph node metastases by statistical analysis in our study. However we had some patients with lymph node metastases who were diagnosed easily by dynamic examination and digital subtraction technique.The lymph nodes in fatty tissue next to the vascular structures can be determined by fat saturated technique as wiped out fatty tissue and the vascular structure can be wiped out by digital subtraction technique (figure 4).
Adnexal masses are important indication of gynecologic surgery.Today the essential strategy for malign adnexal mass is staging laparotomy and taking off the tumor force(14). The aim of imaging is to determine the malignancy of adnexal mass(1,2). The contrast enhanced MR images have accuracy ratio over than %90 in characterization adnexal mass (8,9).The high accuracy ratio in our study are compatible with literature. We want to remark that it is easy to evaluate the pattern of contrast enhancement in adnexal masses who have complex type signal intensity by digital substruction. The hemorragic and proteinous complex cysts have high T1 signal in routin examinations. We truely comment only the enhancing areas by digital substruction technique (Figure 1). The high signal areas in pre and postcontrast series are seen as unenhanced areas in subtraction series. The increased signal tissues are only seen in these images. The patients who were described as malign but histopathologically diagnosed as benign were mistaken because of nodular enhancement. These cases are the most mistaken as defined in literature. The late and slowly enhancing part of fibrous component can be interfere with intermediate type of carsinomas erroneously (6).
Ultra fast spoiled GE sequence techniques are developed by commercial companies for fast and dynamic examinations. These sequences are called special names for each company like General Electric -LAVA, Philips-THRIVE, Siemens VIBE, Thosiba-RADIENCE. LAVA (Liver Acquisition with Volume Acceleration ) sequence is a three dimensional rapid spoiled gradient echo ( GE ) sequence with fat suppression. It obtains regular and standard fat suppression in contrast enhanced images. This technique is developed for imaging liver with high resolution in one breath-hold. It gives objective and rapid information about contrast behaviour of lessions in case of using with digital subtraction technique. It gives more information about the patern of contrast enhancement of lessions when used with digital subtraction technique. There are some literatures about vascular imaging,breast,musculoskeletal system and demonstration of fistula by dynamic examination and digital subtraction (15,16,17). The contrast enhanced MRI examinations of pelvic mass are emphasized as important in literatures but we have seen 1 study about dynamic examination results. We have not seen any study of gynecologic pathologies by using dynamic examination and digital subtraction technique yet (6).
Dynamic MRI examination with LAVA sequence and digital subtraction technique is encouraging in the differantiation of benign or malign mass although the number of patients in our study was few and the group patients was heterogenous. For this reason LAVA sequence can be examined in the large group of gynecologic malignancies especially in homogeneous groups as only cervical or adnexal carsinoma and supplement to the conventional MRI sequence with digital subtraction technique.