Background parenchymal enhancement in breast MRI before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: correlation with tumour response.

OBJECTIVES: To correlate the decrease in background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) and tumour response measured with MRI in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). METHODS: One hundred and forty-six MRI examinations of 73 patients with 80 biopsy-proven breast cancers who underwent breast MRI before and after NAC were retrospectively analysed. All images were reviewed by two blinded readers, who classified BPE into categories (BEC; 1 = minimal, 2 = mild, 3 = moderate, 4 = marked) before and after NAC. Histopathological and morphological tumour responses were analysed and compared. RESULTS: The distribution of BEC 1/2/3/4 was 25/46/18/11 % before and 78/20/2/0 % after NAC. On average, BPE decreased by 0.87 BEC. Cohen's kappa showed substantial agreement (k = 0.73-0.77) before and moderate agreement (k = 0.43-0.60) after NAC and moderate agreement (k = 0.62-0.60) concerning the change in BEC. Correlating the change in BPE with tumour response, the average decrease in BEC was 1.3 in cases of complete remission, 0.83 in cases with partial response, 0.85 in cases with stable disease and 0.40 in cases with progressive disease. Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between the decrease in BEC and tumour response (r = -0.24, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: BPE decreased by, on average, 0.87 BEC following NAC for breast cancer. The degree of BPE reduction seemed to correlate with tumour response. KEY POINTS: • BPE decreases by an average of 0.87 categories under neoadjuvant chemotherapy. • The reduction of BPE following neoadjuvant chemotherapy correlates with the tumour response. • The classification of the BPE shows good agreement among trained readers.

Clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging in patients with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome: diagnosis of associated malformations, uterine rudiments and intrauterine endometrium.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of malformations associated with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome and identification of uterine endometrium to optimise the clinical management. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 214 consecutive MRKH patients, mean age 19 years, who underwent laparoscopy-assisted neovagina creation. A total of 115 patients (53.7%) met the inclusion criterion of sufficient preoperative MRI. In 110 of them (95.7%), MRI findings were correlated with laparoscopy and associated malformations. In 39 cases (35.5%) uterine rudiments were removed and analysed histopathologically. RESULTS: Ten per cent (11/110) of the patients showed complete uterine agenesis. The others presented with either unilateral (n = 16; 14.5%) or bilateral (n = 83; 75.5%) uterine rudiments. MRI detection of uterine rudiments agreed in 78.2% (86/110) with laparoscopy. In 85.4% of the removed rudiments, MRI could correctly diagnose the existence of the endometrium. Compared to laparoscopy, MRI could exactly detect ovaries in 97.3% (107/110). Renal or ureteral malformations were seen in 32 cases (27.8%). In 83% of unilateral renal agenesis and unilateral rudiment, the latter was located at the side of the kidney. CONCLUSIONS: MRI is useful for preoperative detection of MRKH-associated malformations and assessment of the endometrium to further optimise MRKH patient treatment. KEY POINTS: • Pelvic MRI is useful for preoperative detection of MRKH-associated malformations. • MRI can diagnose uterine endometrium in MRKH patients with high precision. • Preoperative MRI can optimise clinical management of patients with MRKH syndrome.

Repeated surgeries in invasive lobular breast cancer with preoperative MRI: Role of additional carcinoma in situ and background parenchymal enhancement.

OBJECTIVES: Analysing the influence of additional carcinoma in situ (CIS) and background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) in preoperative MRI on repeated surgeries in patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) of the breast. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 106 patients (mean age 58.6±9.9years) with 108 ILC. Preoperative tumour size as assessed by MRI, mammography and sonography was recorded and compared to histopathology. In contrast-enhanced MRI, the degree of BPE was categorised by two readers. The influence of additionally detected CIS and BPE on the rate of repeated surgeries was analysed. RESULTS: Additional CIS was present in 45.4% of the cases (49/108). The degree of BPE was minimal or mild in 80% of the cases and moderate or marked in 20% of the cases. In 17 cases (15.7%) at least one repeated surgery was performed. In n=15 of these cases, repeated surgery was performed after BCT (n=9 re-excisions, n=6 conversions to mastectomy), in n=2 cases after initial mastectomy. The initial surgical procedure (p=0.008) and additional CIS (p=0.046) significantly influenced the rate of repeated surgeries, while tumour size, patient age and BPE did not (p=ns). CONCLUSIONS: Additional CIS was associated with a higher rate of repeated surgeries, whereas BPE had no influence.

[Current MRI staging of rectal cancer]. / Aktuelle MRT-Diagnostik des Rektumkarzinoms.

Colorectal carcinoma is the second most prevalent cause for cancer, and has very variable outcomes. Advancements in surgery, the change from adjuvant to neo-adjuvant radio-chemo-therapies as well as in clinical diagnostics have improved the prognosis for patients in a multi-modal therapy concept. An accurate primary staging including a reliable prediction of the circumferential resection margin (CRM) has established MR Imaging (MRI) beside intraluminal endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). MRI facilitates the selection of patients likely to benefit from a preoperative therapy, especially in cases of unfavorable factors. Currently the relationship of the tumor to the mesorectal fascia has become a more important prognostic factor than the T-staging, particularly for surgical therapy. In addition further prognostic factors like the depth of infiltration into the perirectal fat and the extramural venous infiltration (EMVI) have important impact on therapy and prognosis. High resolution MRI has proved useful in clarifying the relationship between the tumor and the mesorectal fascia, which represents the CRM at the total mesorectal excision (TME) especially in the upper and middle third. Preoperative evaluation of the other prognostic factors as well as the nodal status is still difficult. It is used increasingly not only for primary staging but also progressively for the monitoring of neoadjuvant therapy. The addition of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is an interesting option for the improvement of response evaluation. The following overview provides an introduction of MRI diagnosis as well as its importance for the evaluation of the clinically relevant prognostic factors leading to an improvement of therapy and prognosis of patients with rectal carcinoma.

Cortical processing of residual ano-rectal sensation in patients with spinal cord injury: an fMRI study.

Eleven paraplegic patients with complete traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) [according to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) criteria] at different levels (Th3-L3) were investigated during non-painful stimulation of the distal rectum and anal canal, using event related functional magnetic resonance imaging. Although a complete lesion was clinically diagnosed in all, four of them experienced reproducible sensations during anal and/or rectal stimulation. In six patients, individual data analysis revealed significant activation in the right secondary somatosensory cortex SII, the posterior cingular gyrus, the prefrontal cortex, and the left posterior cerebellar lobe during either anal or rectal stimulation or both. A Region of interest analysis using a data mask from healthy controls confirmed that SCI patients demonstrate cortical activation in areas similar to those activated in healthy volunteers, but to a less extensive degree. This supports the notion that the diagnosis of complete spinal cord transsection by ASIA criteria alone may be insufficient for assessment of 'completeness' of cord lesions, and that visceral sensitivity testing may be required in addition.

Muscle type dependent increase in intramyocellular lipids during prolonged fasting of human subjects: a proton MRS study.

The amount of intramyocellular lipids in skeletal muscle was assessed by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy during a voluntary fasting period of 120 h in four healthy lean volunteers. The aim of the study was to determine whether muscular lipid uptake in the presence of high plasma lipid levels, or lipid oxidation due to lacking glycogen as a source of energy in musculature, are the dominant effects on intramyocellular lipid levels under fasting conditions in various muscle types. Intramyocellular lipids were quantified in the tibialis anterior (mixed type I and type II fibers, predominantly type II) and the soleus muscle (predominantly type I fibers) before and after 24 h, 72 h, and 120 h of fasting. An extreme increase in intramyocellular lipids to levels of 369 % (median) was found in the tibialis anterior muscle compared to baseline value (intramyocellular lipid level prior to fasting, set to 100 %; p = 0.02). The soleus muscle with clearly higher baseline content of intramyocellular lipids (2 - 4-fold compared to tibialis anterior) revealed slightly delayed and less pronounced uptake of intramyocellular lipids during fasting to 152 % (median) after 120 h (p = 0.02). The absolute increment in intramyocellular lipids (in terms of ratios between lipid and creatine signals) was also higher in tibialis anterior than in soleus (not statistically significant). These findings indicate augmentation of the intramyocellular lipid pool during long-term elevation of plasma FFA in the presence of low plasma insulin concentrations in both muscles investigated. The rate of muscular lipid oxidation during fasting is clearly lower than the increased uptake of FFA by myocytes.