MRI findings of rectal submucosal tumors

Rectal submucosal lesions encompass a wide variety of benign and malignant tumors involving the rectum. With optical colonoscopy, any mass-like protrusion covered by normal mucosa, whether the underlying process is intramural or extramural in origin, may be reported as a submucosal lesion. Whereas the assessment of submucosal lesions may be limited with performing optical colonoscopy, cross-sectional imaging such as CT, transrectal ultrasonography and MRI allows the evaluation of perirectal tissues and pelvic organs in addition to the entire thickness of the rectum, and so this is advantageous for the assessment of rectal submucosal tumors. Among these, MRI is the best investigative modality for soft tissue characterization. Therefore, knowledge of the MRI features of rectal submucosal tumors can help achieve accurate preoperative diagnoses and facilitate the appropriate management.