GADOLINIUM ENHANCEMENT - IMPROVED MRI DETECTION OF RETINOBLASTOMA EXTENSION INTO THE OPTIC-NERVE

We performed T1-, T2-, proton density-weighted, and T1-weighted gadoli nium-enhanced MRI on 24 patients with retinoblastoma, using a 1.5 T su perconducting unit and head and orbital surface coil imaging. All pati ents underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination, including B-scan ultrasonography CT was performed on 10 of 24 patients. Pathologic cor relation was obtained in 18 patients who required enucleation. Contras t-enhanced T1-weighted MRI with fat suppression was the sequence most sensitive to optic nerve extension and provided the greatest different iation between tumor and uninvolved extrascleral tissue. Retinoblastom a demonstrated contrast enhancement.