[Cervico-mediastinal recurrences of differentiated thyroid cancers: value of MRI].

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of MRI to detect recurrent differentiated thyroid carcinomas developed in the neck or the upper mediastinum.

Results: MRI was performed in 25 patients, and was compared in 5 cases with surgery. In 20 cases it was compared with I-131 scintigraphy (100 mCi in 14 cases and 5 mCi in 6 cases). The sensibility, specificity and overall accuracy of MRI was respectively: 100%, 66.6%, 82.6%.

Commentary: MRI is a good technique to detect recurrent thyroid carcinomas. It is specially interesting to investigate patients with a biological suspicion of recurrence and a negative scintigraphy. Mediastinal localisations that cannot be detected by US can be detected by MRI.