MR ENDOSCOPY - PRELIMINARY EXPERIENCE IN HUMAN TRIALS

The authors performed local staging of esophageal and rectal cancer (w ithout pathologic correlation) with use of a nonferromagnetic magnetic resonance (MR) endoscope with a 3-cm-long receive-only coil embedded in its tip in 16 patients (eight with esophageal cancer and eight with anorectal cancer). MR endoscopy was performed with T1-weighted, fast- spin-echo T2-weighted, and frequency-selective fat-saturated T1-weight ed gadolinium-enhanced sequences. Results with spin-echo sequences wer e optimal in all cases. All neoplasms were accurately depicted and sta ged with the MR endoscope.