Radiology of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and one new case of Carney's syndrome.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (CIST) represent an extremely rare group of tumors, which are mostly of smooth muscle origin like leiomyomas, leiomyos arcomas and leiomyoblastomas. With the introduction of immunohistochemical analysis an epitheloid and an autonomic nerve variant can be distinguished. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the image morphological appea rance of these rare tumors together with the pathology based upon a retrosp ective analysis of five of our own cases since 1997. There are no pathognom onic imaging findings for characterizing a gastrointestinal stromal tumor; however, it should be included in the differential diagnosis if one or mult iple large, round or oval, well-delineated gastrointestinal tumors occur in combination with central necrosis. Carney's syndrome is characterized by t he syndromal association of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (originally: g astric leiomyosarcoma) with an extra-adrenal paraganglioma and a pulmonary chondroma. In this rare syndrome, the radiological approach is important to diagnose or rule out the - simultaneous or consecutive - appearance of at least two of the three tumor entities (GIST, extra-adrenal paraganglioma, p ulmonary chondroma).