Fat-saturated, contrast-enhanced spin echo sequences in magnetic resonancetomographic diagnosis of peritoneal carcinosis.

Purpose: To evaluate contrast-enhanced, fat-saturated spin echo sequences f or the detection of peritoneal carcinosis with MRI. Materials and Methods: 61 patients, 35 with and 26 without peritoneal carcinosis, were examined wi th abdominal MRI. Fat-saturated, T-1-weighted spin echo sequences were perf ormed before and after administration of Gd-DTPA. In addition, 22 patients with peritoneal carcinosis were examined with contrast-enhanced abdominal C T. Results: 32 of 35 patients with peritoneal carcinosis demonstrated contr ast enhancement of the Visceral and 30 of 35 enhancement of the parietal pe ritoneum (91 and 86 %, respectively). Wall thickening of the intestine or p arietal peritoneum were noted in 21 and 20 of 35 patients (60 and 57 %, res pectively), ascites in 18 of 35 patients (51 %). False positive contrast en hancement of the peritoneum was noted in 4 of 26 patients (15%). In the dir ect comparison of MRI and CT, 22 of 22 patients versus 7 of 22 patients sho wed contrast enhancement of the visceral peritoneum (100 and 32 %, respecti vely). For Other signs of peritoneal carcinosis (e.g., ascites, peritoneal seedings), no differences in diagnostic reliability were demonstrated. Conc lusions: The use of fat-saturated, spin echo sequences facilitates the diag nosis of peritoneal carcinosis by artifact reduction and improved detection of peritoneal contrast enhancement. MRI with fat-saturated sequences was s uperior to CT.