Prognostic parameters in FIGO stage I endometrial carcinoma of endometrioid type

BACKGROUND/AIM: Endometrial carcinoma is the most common malignant neoplasm of the female genital tract in developed countries. Endometrioid carcinoma represents about three-fourths of all endometrial carcinoma. The aim of this study was to examine pathologic parameters, age, and the 5-year survival of the patients with FIGO stage I endometrial carcinoma of endometrioid type and to assess the prognostic utility of age, depth of myometrial invasion, hystologic type (endometrioid or variant), histologic grade, nuclear grade, and lymph-vascular space invasion. METHODS. Age, pathologic parameters, and survival data were retrospectively collected on 236 patients with FIGO stage I endometrial carcinoma of endometrioid type. All the patients underwent hysterectomy between 1996 and 2000 and follow-up until December 2005. RESULTS: A total of 236 patients (mean age 58.0, range 40-79) were analyzed. During the 5-year period of follow-up, 59 (25.0%) patents died from the disease. An univariate analysis revealed that age, depth of myometrial invasion, histologic grade, nuclear grade, and lymph-vascular space invasion were associated significantly with the 5-year survival of the patients. A multivariate analysis revealed that age, lymph-vascular space invasion, and depth of myometrial invasion were associated significantly with the 5-year survival. CONCLUSION: Age, lymph-vascular space invasion, and depth of myometrial invasion are independent prognostic parameters for the 5-year survival of the patients with FIGO stage I endometrial carcinoma of endometrioid type.     

Staging in local endometrial carcinoma. Assessment of magnetic resonance and ultrasound examinations

Possible deep (more than an inner third of the uterine wall) myometrial invasion and cervical extension of endometrial carcinoma were evaluated prospectively using magnetic resonance (MR) and transabdominal real-time sonography (US) in 20 and 10 patients, respectively. The data obtained from these examinations were compared with hysterosalpingography (HSG) and clinical modalities including hysteroscopy, sounding and histopathologic findings after surgery. The concordance of outlining cervical extension was between MR and hysteroscopy 85 per cent, and between US and hysteroscopy 50 per cent. Deep myometrial tumor invasion was suggested in 4/10 patients by US and in 6/20 by MR, and was confirmed in all but one in each group at histologic examination of the resected uterus. There were no false negative US or MR examinations. Transabdominal US did not prove accurate in defining local endometrial carcinoma (distinguishing between stages I and II), but it may be used as an additional tool in revealing myometrial invasion. MR, however, seems to refine the delineation of uterine tumor growth.     

Magnetic resonance manifestations of endometrial cysts at 3 T compared with 1.5 T

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 3 T compared with 1.5 T while focusing on the shading sign of endometrial cysts on T2-weighted images. METHODS: Fifteen ovarian endometrial cysts in 10 patients underwent pelvic MR scans on 3-T and 1.5-T scanners. Fast spin-echo T2-weighted images were obtained. The images were evaluated qualitatively for the presence of the shading sign. Quantitative evaluation was performed by comparing the cyst-to-muscle signal intensity ratio at 3 T and that at 1.5 T. RESULTS: The signal intensity of the cysts was lower at 3 T than that at 1.5 T by visual evaluation. In 2 lesions, the shading sign was demonstrated at 3 T but was not at 1.5 T. The cyst-to-muscle signal intensity ratio at 3 T was significantly lower than that at 1.5 T. CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T is useful for the diagnosis of endometrial cysts with better demonstration of the shading sign on T2-weighted images.     

Spin-echo anatomy of the larynx with magnetic resonance at 1.5 T

The larynges of 8 healthy and informed volunteers were studied with a superconductive MR unit at 1.5 T together with those of 10 patients with extralaryngeal pathologic conditions. The study was performed with round surface coils (5") and with dedicated sellar coils in the anterior neck. Slices were 5 mm thick, and acquired on the coronal, axial, and sagittal planes, with T1-weighting; axial scans were repeated in the same locations with double echoes, with proton-density and T2-weighting. Five patients underwent additional scans after Gd-DTPA. The larynx of a semi-frozen cadaver was examined with sellar surface coils, on similar scanning planes and with similar pulse sequences to those described above; the larynx was removed, investigated with mammographic technique, and subsequently analyzed with thin CT slices and a high-resolution reconstruction algorithm for the study of laryngeal cartilage. Axial anatomical sections were then compared with MR and CT scans, and the anatomical structures were recognized on the triplanar MR scans of a volunteer's larynx. Besides MR anatomy of supporting laryngeal structures, the authors describe in detail the muscles, plicae, spaces and cavities which can be identified on the various planes, together with the changes in signal after Gd-DTPA.     

Role of magnetic resonance in the staging of endometrial carcinoma

Biopsy is the technique of choice for the definitive diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma. Since lymphatic tumor spread has been demonstrated to depend on the degree of myometrial involvement, the definition of the latter with imaging techniques may significantly affect both prognosis and therapy. We investigated, by means of MR imaging at 0.5 T, 14 patients with endometrial carcinoma, to assess both tumor stage and myometrial involvement. FIGO staging system was employed, and M parameter evaluated (M0 = no myometrial involvement; M1 = involvement confined to the inner third; M2 = involvement confined to the middle third; M3 = involvement of the whole myometrium). Another parameter was the characteristic high signal of the tumor on PD and T2W images. The patients were then operated and MR information was correlated with surgical findings. Overall diagnostic accuracy of MR imaging was 85.7% in tumor staging, and 92.2% in defining M parameter. Tumor spread into adnexa and into cervical canal was poorly demonstrated by MR imaging.     

Invasive carcinoma of the cervix uteri (stage IB-IIB): evaluation using magnetic resonance

In patients with cervical carcinoma the selection of the optimal therapy depends on the precise preoperative assessment of the extent of disease. Currently, decisions regarding the management of these patients are made on the basis of clinical (FIGO) staging that has 50% mean error rate. To investigate the value of MR imaging in staging patients with invasive cervical cancer, we performed 25 MR examinations on 23 patients with histologic diagnosis of cervical cancer. All patients were clinically considered as having stage IB or IIB disease and underwent radical hysterectomy, providing specimens for pathologic correlation. The overall accuracy of MR imaging in staging cervical carcinoma (stage IB-IIB) was 78.1%. MR imaging seems to be the most reliable preoperative modality for staging invasive cervical cancer.     

The diagnostic performance of non-contrast 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (3-T MRI) versus 1.5-Tesla magnetic resonance arthrography (1.5-T MRA) in femoro-acetabular impingement

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 3-T non-contrast MRI versus 1.5-T MRA for assessing labrum and articular cartilage lesions in patients with clinical suspicion of femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI).Subjects and methodsFifty patients (thirty men and twenty women, mean age 42.5 years) underwent 1.5-T MRA, 3-T MRI and arthroscopy on the same hip. An optimized high-resolution proton density spin echo pulse sequence was included in the 3-T non-contrast MRI protocol.ResultsThe 3-T non-contrast MRI identified forty-two of the forty-three arthroscopically proven tears at the labral-chondral transitional zone (sensitivity, 97.7%; specificity, 100%; positive predictive value (PPV), 100%; negative predictive value (NPV), 87.5%; accuracy 98%). With 1.5-T MRA, forty-four tears were diagnosed. However, there was one false positive (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 85.7%; PPV, 97.7%; NPV, 100%; accuracy 98%).Agreement between arthroscopy and MRI, whether 3-T non-contrast MRI or 1.5-T MRA, as to the degree of chondral lesion in the acetabulum was reached in half of the patients and in the femur in 76% of patients.ConclusionNon-invasive assessment of the hip is possible with 3-T MR magnet. 3-T non-contrast MRI could replace MRA as the workhorse technique for assessing hip internal damage. MRA would then be reserved for young adults with a strong clinical suspicion of FAI but normal findings on 3-T non-contrast MRI.When compared with 1.5-T MRA, optimized sequences with 3-T non-contrast MRI help in detecting normal variants and in diagnosing articular cartilage lesions.     

Magnetic resonance tomography (1.5 T) of traumatic extracerebral hematomas

The advantages of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of subacute and chronic traumatic extracerebral hematomas are described. The characteristic changes in signal intensity for hematomas depend on the magnetic properties of hemoglobin and its derivatives, which shorten the relaxation times and decrease the homogeneity of the local magnetic field. MRI is superior in detecting and depicting the extent of small hematomas adjacent to the skull. Changes in signal intensity with time allow rough estimation of the age of a hematoma. Small hemorrhages were often found (missed by CT) that were contralateral to chronic subdural hematomas.     

Comparative evaluation of computerized tomography/magnetic resonance (1.5 T) in the detection of brain metastasis]

Forty-four patients with small cell carcinoma of the bronchus underwent CT and MR studies of the brain to detect cerebral metastases. All patients were studied with contrast-enhanced CT scans, short (T1-weighted) and long (T2-weighted), spin-echo (SE) and FLASH 90 degrees MR sequences. Gd-DTPA enhanced SE-T1 and FLASH 90 degrees sequences were also obtained. A quantitative comparison of the results was carried out to assess the sensitivity of the different techniques in the detection of brain metastases according to lesion diameter. Metastases were identified in 19/44 patients (43%). All techniques detected the lesions greater than 2 cm; of the metastases less than 2 cm, 63/124 (51%) were detected only by Gd-DTPA SE-T1 and FLASH sequences and 11 more (9%) only by Gd-DTPA SE-T1 scans. All the lesions identified on enhanced CT scans or on T2-weighted images were easily detected by Gd-DTPA scans. CT sensitivity was higher than that of pre-contrast SE-T1 and FLASH studies and only slightly lower than that of T2-weighted images. As for lesions less than 2 cm, Gd-DTPA T1-weighted sequences had the highest detection rate (124 lesions) versus Gd-DTPA FLASH 90 degrees scans (113 lesions) and precontrast T1-weighted scans (45 lesions). When comparing Gd-DTPA SE-T1 and FLASH 90 degrees sequences in the detection of lesions less than 1 cm, we observed that the latter missed 9% of metastases, mainly due to a high rate of magnetic susceptibility artifacts and to lower contrast resolution. Therefore, Gd-DTPA SE-T1 images still remain the most accurate technique in the assessment of cerebral metastases.     

The effects of 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging on early murine in-vitro embryo development

Although no ionizing radiation is involved, patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are exposed to powerful static magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio-frequency fields that may be potentially damaging. Our study aims to document the effect of MRI imaging sequences on early murine embryo development (two-cell to blastocyst stage) in vitro. Two-cell murine embryos were exposed to various lengths of MRI using pulse sequences employed in present day clinical imaging. Early murine embryo development was documented in vitro, and blastocyst development rates were computed for both the control and exposed groups. There were no significant differences detected in the rate of blastocyst formation between the control groups and the embryos exposed to MRI.     

In vivo magnetic resonance elastography of human brain at 7 T and 1.5 T

Purpose:

To investigate the feasibility of quantitative in vivo ultrahigh field magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) of the human brain in a broad range of low‐frequency mechanical vibrations.

Materials and Methods:

Mechanical vibrations were coupled into the brain of a healthy volunteer using a coil‐driven actuator that either oscillated harmonically at single frequencies between 25 and 62.5 Hz or performed a superimposed motion consisting of multiple harmonics. Using a motion sensitive single‐shot spin‐echo echo planar imaging sequence shear wave displacements in the brain were measured at 1.5 and 7 T in whole‐body MR scanners. Spatially averaged complex shear moduli were calculated applying Helmholtz inversion.

Results:

Viscoelastic properties of brain tissue could be reliably determined in vivo at 1.5 and 7 T using both single‐frequency and multifrequency wave excitation. The deduced dispersion of the complex modulus was consistent within different experimental settings of this study for the measured frequency range and agreed well with literature data.

Conclusion:

MRE of the human brain is feasible at 7 T. Superposition of multiple harmonics yields consistent results as compared to standard single‐frequency based MRE. As such, MRE is a system‐independent modality for measuring the complex shear modulus of in vivo human brain in a wide dynamic range. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;32:577–583. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

MRI对直肠癌术前诊断的价值

目的 探讨MRI在直肠癌术前分期中的作用.方法 将32例经病理证实的直肠癌患者的术前MRI所见与术中所见及术后病理进行对照研究.结果 32例经术后病理证实直肠癌患者MRI正确T分期26例,诊断总体准确度81.3%(26/32),其中T1~T2期、T3期、T4期诊断准确度分别为83.3%(5/6)、77.8%(14/18)、87.5%(7/8).MRI正确判定环周切缘状态29例,总体准确度为90.6 %(29/32),敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值分别 为93.3%(14/15)、88.2%(15/17)、87.5%(14/16)、93.8%(15/16).盆腔转移性淋巴结MRI表现不同,正常淋巴结、转移性淋巴结及反应性淋巴结增生在直径及形态方面均有重叠.MRI上测量25例中下段直肠癌肿瘤下缘距肛缘距离平均为(6.36±0.91) cm,术中测量肿瘤下缘距肛缘的平均距离(7.32±0.42) cm,统计学分析P值为0.243,P>0.05,二者无统计学意义.结论 MRI对直肠癌患者的术前T分期、判断环周切缘状态及测量肿瘤下缘距肛缘距离方面具有重要临床应用价值,对判断盆腔淋巴结转移存在困难.     

Magnetic resonance imaging in the preoperative assessment of clinical stage I endometrial carcinoma

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may aid in preoperative treatment planning of endometrial carcinoma by accurately estimating tumor volume, depth of myometrial invasion, and extrauterine extension. Preoperative MR scans were obtained on 24 women with clinical stage I endometrial cancer. MR scans were evaluated for uterine size, as an indirect measure of tumor volume, and depth of myometrial invasion. MR detected deep invasion (greater than or equal to 50% of myometrial thickness) with a sensitivity of 71% and specificity of 83% (accuracy 79%) when compared with the pathologic findings. MR staging may assist in deciding which patients should have lymph node dissection at surgery and may aid in decisions regarding adjunctive radiation therapy.     

MRI对子宫内膜癌术前分期的应用价值

子宫内膜癌又称子宫体癌,是指原发于子宫内膜的上皮恶性肿瘤,是女性生殖系统最常见的恶性肿瘤之一。治疗前准确估计分期、病理分级、淋巴结转移有助于合理选择治疗方案及判断预后。磁共振成像（magnetic resonance imaging,MRI）具有多方位、多角度、多序列成像、组织分辨力高及软组织对比度好等特点,可准确显示盆腔及子宫的解剖结构,并且对病变范围、肌层浸润深度较准确定位,从而可指导临床制定正确的治疗方案。本研究对42例子宫内膜癌行高场强MRI检查,并与手术后病理结果进行对比分析,以期探讨MRI在子宫内膜癌术前分期中的应用价值。     

The value of follow-up in FIGO stage IB carcinoma of the uterine cervix

The value of hospital follow-up in the detection of first locoregional or metastatic relapse was assessed in 276 patients with histologically confirmed FIGO Stage IB carcinoma of the cervix. All were treated by intracavitary and external beam irradiation. The maximum period of follow-up studied was 10 years (median follow-up was 55 months) during which 3190 routine and interval clinical visits were made. Fifteen (44%) of locoregional relapses (LRR) and eight (38%) of metastatic relapses were detected at routine visits (137 visits per relapse detected). Seventy-five per cent of relapses occurred within the first 5 years. Nine LRR occurred in the second quinquennium. Five (14.7%) of LRR underwent salvage surgery, three of whom were asymptomatic at the time of relapse. If routine visits had been stopped at 5 years the number of clinical visits would have been reduced by 15%, possibly at the cost of one patient whose asymptomatic LRR might not have been amenable to salvage surgery, had she not presented until she was symptomatic. Routine follow-up beyond 5 years is of dubious benefit in the detection of relapse.     

Assessment of depth of myometrial invasion by endometrial carcinoma: comparison of T2-weighted SE and contrast-enhanced dynamic GRE MR imaging

A prospective study was undertaken to assess the value of both T2-weighted spin-echo (SE) and contrast-enhanced dynamic gradient-echo (GRE) sequences using MR imaging in differentiating the deep myometrial invasion from lower stages produced by endometrial carcinoma. For the correlation of MR findings with the histopathologic findings, patients who had no myometrial invasion (stage 1 a) and patients in whom tumors were confined to the superficial myometrium (stage 1 b) at pathologic examination were combined as lower stages. Twenty patients with endometrial carcinoma were studied using both techniques. The absence of any detectable tumor (stage 1 a) or the presence of a tumor confined to inner half of myometrium (stage 1 b) and extention of tumor to the outer half of myometrium (stage 1 c) were used as the diagnostic criteria. In pathologic examination of excised specimens, deep myometrial invasion was detected in 9 of 20 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of T2-weighted SE in differentiating deep myometrial invasion from combined lower stages were 88, 91, 90, 88, and 91 %, respectively, whereas corresponding values for contrast-enhanced dynamic GRE sequences were 78, 100, 90, 100, and 85 %. Statistical difference between two sequences did not reach a significant level. We conclude that in cases of absence of visible junctional zone with SE sequence, contrast-enhanced dynamic GRE MR imaging may be helpful. Received 13 December 1996; Revision received 1 July 1997; Accepted 4 July 1997     

Clinical 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of brain metastases at 1.5T and 3T

Purpose: To investigate whether improvements in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spectral resolution are found in spectra from patients with brain metastases obtained at higher magnetic field strengths using standard clinical instrumentation.

Material and Methods: Six patients with brain metastases, 13 healthy volunteers, and a phantom containing brain metabolites were examined using two clinical MR instruments operating at 1.5T (Siemens) and 3T (Philips) with standard clinical head coils. Spectra were obtained using a point resolved spectroscopy pulse sequence, echo times (TE) 32 ms and 144 ms, and repetition time 2000 ms from a volume-of-interest (VOI) of size 15×15×15 mm³. SNR and spectral resolution of the metabolites N-acetylaspartate, choline, and creatine compounds in spectra from 3T were compared to the 1.5T spectra.

Results: In general, spectral resolution was improved by 25-30% at higher magnetic field strength. Only minor improvements in SNR were obtained at 3T using short echo time and 20-50% at long echo time.

Conclusion: SNR and spectral resolution were improved at higher magnetic field strength, especially with TE 144 ms, including spectra from patients with heterogeneous brain tumors. However, differences in the defined effective VOI, particularly at short echo time, reduced the expected effect of increased magnetic field strength on the measured SNR.     

Neuroimaging at 1.5 T and 3.0 T: comparison of oxygenation-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging.

Noise properties, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and signal responses were compared during functional activation of the human brain at 1.5 and 3.0 T. At the higher field spiral gradient-echo (GRE) brain images revealed an average gain in SNR of 1.7 in fully relaxed and 2.2 in images with a repetition time (TR) of 1.5 sec. The tempered gain at longer TRs reflects the fact that the physiological noise depends on the signal strength and becomes a larger fraction of the total noise at 3.0 T. Activation of the primary motor and visual cortex resulted in a 36% and 44% increase of "activated pixels" at 3.0 T, which reflects a greater sensitivity for the detection of activated gray matter at the higher field. The gain in the CNR exhibited a dependency on the underlying tissue, i.e., an increase of 1.8x in regions of particular high activation-induced signal changes (presumably venous vessels) and of 2.2x in the average activated areas. These results demonstrate that 3.0 T provides a clear advantage over 1.5 T for neuroimaging of homogeneous brain tissue, although stronger physiological noise contributions, more complicated signal features in the proximity of strong susceptibility gradients, and changes in the intrinsic relaxation times may mediate the enhancement. Magn Reson Med 45:595-604, 2001.