Magnetic resonance imaging of extraabdominal desmoid tumors.

The authors describe the MR appearance of extra-abdominal desmoid in three patients, with longitudinal follow-up during a period of up to 29 months in two of them. For the MR examinations various pulse sequences, including spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences, were used. Both non-enhanced and Gd-DTPA contrast enhanced studies were made. We found gradient-echo T2*-weighted sequences best suited for the detection of extra-abdominal desmoids. Best correlation between MR features and histologic findings was obtained on spin-echo T2- and contrast enhanced T1-weighted studies. Although preliminary, our results suggest that MRI might predict evolution of extra-abdominal desmoids by providing data about cellularity and relative amount of mucoid matrix of the lesions.