Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging of renal masses

Examination of the kidney with conventional spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging has met with some success. However, image degradation, resulting from artifacts caused by breathing, and suboptimal lesion conspicuity, caused by the similarity of solid neoplasms and renal parenchyma in T1-weighted and T2-weighted images, have limited the value of its use. In this paper, I describe two breath-holding techniques that allow dynamic contrast-enhanced examination of the kidney. It is hoped that these new sequences will improve the clinical value of magnetic resonance in imaging renal masses.