DYNAMIC MR-IMAGING OF RECURRENT POSTOPERATIVE CERVICAL-CANCER

The value of dynamic-contrast enhanced MR imaging using FLASH techniqu e was studied in 13 patients with postoperative recurrent cervical can cer verified histopathology and in 9 patients without recurrence, Dyna mic FLASH imaging and conventional spin-echo T1- and Ta-weighted seque nces were compared in a prospective fashion with regard to accuracy of the diagnosis of recurrent tumor using biopsy results as the gold sta ndard. The contrast between the recurrent tumor and the surrounding pe lvic tissues was also analyzed. The accuracy of depicting recurrent tu mor on dynamic images (82%) was superior to that of pre- and postcontr ast T1-weighted images and Ta-weighted images (64%, 68%, and 64%, resp ectively), The contrast between the recurrent tumor and pelvic fat was greater on precontrast T1-weighted and dynamic images than on TP-weig hted and postcontrast T1-weighted images, The dynamic images clearly s howed involvement of the surrounding pelvic organs, because enhancemen t was observed exclusively in the tumor in the early dynamic phase. Ac curacy regarding involvement of the urinary bladder or rectal wall on pre- and postcontrast T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images was lo wer than that on the dynamic images. Dynamic MR imaging has potential for use in the detection and evaluation of the extent of recurrent pos toperative cervical cancer.