ENDORECTAL MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING IN THE PREOPERATIVE STAGING OF RECTAL TUMORS

A proper preoperative staging of rectal tumors is important for correc t treatment planning. We included in our study 23 patients with rectal carcinoma in order to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of endorectal MRI. This technique enabled us to show neoplasms as a hyperintense les ion as compared to the muscolaris. To better delineate the real dimens ions of the neoplasms and reduce chemical shift artifact we performed T2 weighted TSE sequences with and without fat suppression. The diagno stic accuracy in the evaluation of T and N factors as compared to surg ery was respectively 78.2%o and 78.9%. The major problem has been a sl ight tendency to overstage parietal infiltration and lymphnodal involv ement. Endorectal MRI allows us to obtain an excellent anatomic detail of the three rectal wall layers and a very high spatial resolution wh ich might make this technique the examination of choice in the evaluat ion of rectal carcinoma.