Radiology, Vol 187, 145-150, Copyright © 1993 by Radiological Society of North America
Bladder tumors: staging with gadolinium-enhanced oblique MR imaging
Y Narumi, T Kadota, E Inoue, K Kuriyama, M Fujita, N Hosomi, Y Sawai, M Kuroda, T Kotake and C Kuroda
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka, Japan.
To clarify the importance of imaging plane in evaluation of invasion by
tumor into muscle, 50 patients with bladder tumors underwent examination
with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed with an oblique plane and
the early phase of contrast enhancement. After the ideal oblique plane was
selected, an oblique T2-weighted image was obtained. Gadopentetate
dimeglumine was then administered, and an oblique T1-weighted image was
obtained. The staging based on oblique T2- weighted and oblique contrast
material-enhanced T1-weighted MR images was then correlated with
histopathologic staging. The respective accuracies of oblique
contrast-enhanced T1-weighted and oblique T2- weighted images were 78% and
60% for overall staging (P < .05), 90% and 74% for differentiation
between (a) stage T1 and lower-stage tumors and (b) stage T2 and
higher-stage tumors (P < .05), and 92% and 88% for differentiation
between (a) stage T2 and lower-stage tumors and (b) stage T3a and
higher-stage tumors (P > .05). Oblique MR imaging performed in
conjunction with the early phase of contrast enhancement showed
significantly high staging accuracy, especially in differentiation between
superficial tumors and tumors with superficial muscle invasion.
