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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: dynamic MR imaging with gadolinium
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Organ Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
Objective:
To evaluate the use of enhanced dynamic MR images in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
Methods:
Dynamic enhanced turbo spin-echo transverse images were obtained in 35 patients with newly diagnosed NPC. Comparison was made between the pre-contrast image, last enhanced scan and dynamic series in assessment of the extent of primary tumor and lymph node involvement.
Results:
Enhanced MR images improved delineation of tumor in the following regions, nasopharyngeal wall (6/35), levator palatini (44/70), tensor palatini (12/70), prevertebral muscles (3/70), medial pterygoid muscle (7/70), pharyngobasilar fascia (30/35), parapharyngeal fat space (23/70), nasal cavity (33/70), oropharynx (6/35), sphenoid sinus (6/35), maxillary sinus (6/70), ethmoid air cells (14/35), cavernous sinus (5/35), cranial fossa (4/35), clivus (13/35) and pterygoid genu (2/70). Eight of the 9 normal and 79/82 abnormal nodal groups, on conventional imaging criteria, enhanced with the same pattern and intensity as the primary tumor. The dynamic series did not improve delineation of tumor extent in comparison with that obtained on last enhanced image.
Conclusion:
Enhanced MR images are valuable in evaluating the extent of primary tumor. Dynamic imaging was of no additional benefit in the evaluation tumor extent.