Preoperative diagnosis of atypical pelvic leiomyoma and sarcoma: the potential role of diffusion-weighted imaging.

The objective of our study was to determine the utility of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (DWMR) to differentiate the atypical uterine leiomyomas and sarcomas, establishing a cut-off value of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) to rule out the malignancy. We performed a diagnostic accuracy retrospective study including 10 patients with pelvic sarcomas and 17 patients with leiomyomas. Atypical morphological features in magnetic resonance (MR) studies occurred in 58.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of intra-abdominal sites of implants to predict likelihood of suboptimal cytoreductive surgery in patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Objectives: To analyse the diagnostic accuracy and to establish a predictive score based on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWMRI) compared to exploratory laparotomy (EL) for predicting suboptimal cytoreductive surgery for different intra-abdominal sites of implants in patients with ovarian cancer.

Methods: Thirty-four patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma were studied. Preoperative DWMRI of the abdomen and pelvis was performed.

Spontaneous skull base meningoencephaloceles and cerebrospinal fluid fistulas.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistulas are characterized by the egress of CSF from the intracranial cavity through an osteodural disruption between the subarachnoid space and a pneumatized structure within the skull base. Depending on the cause, CSF fistulas are classified as acquired or congenital, and acquired fistulas are further classified as traumatic, nontraumatic, or spontaneous. Spontaneous CSF fistulas are considered to result from a multifactorial process and have been postulated to represent a variant of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Role of New Functional MRI Techniques in the Diagnosis, Staging, and Followup of Gynecological Cancer: Comparison with PET-CT.

Recent developments in diagnostic imaging techniques have magnified the role and potential of both MRI and PET-CT in female pelvic imaging. This article reviews the techniques and clinical applications of new functional MRI (fMRI) including diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI, comparing with PET-CT. These new emerging provide not only anatomic but also functional imaging, allowing detection of small volumes of active tumor at diagnosis and early disease relapse, which may not result in detectable morphological changes at conventional imaging.

Current imaging modalities in the diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Imaging has become an important adjunct to the clinical assessment of uterine cancer, specially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. In cervical cancer, the two areas in which MRI is superior to other diagnostic imaging modalities are local diseases staging and evaluation for local recurrence. MRI is an integral part in staging the primary tumour, monitoring responce to treatment, detecting complications and recurrence, and in planning radiotheraphy.