Magnetic resonance imaging and scintigraphic correlation in thyroid disorders

Thirty-nine patients (30 women and 9 men) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and scintigraphic examinations to compare MRI evaluation qualitatively with the accepted standard of nuclear medicine diagnosis. Disorders evaluated included multinodular goiter (toxic and nontoxic), diffuse thyrotoxic states and solitary cold nodules (benign and malignant). Scintigraphy accurately detected palpable nodules and provided a gold standard against which to compare MRI findings. MRI frequently detected additional smaller nonpalpable lesions of uncertain clinical significance. High-resolution surface-coil MRI was more sensitive in detecting lesions not evident on scintigraphic images, although specificity could not be ascertained. T2-weighted images corresponded more closely to scintigraphic findings than T1. MRI provided superior anatomic detail in multiple imaging planes without any ionizing radiation exposure or need for IV contrast. MRI did not differentiate benign from malignant etiologies.