Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR), (MRI), of brain stem tumours

The NMR scans of twenty-six patients who were referred with the clinically suspected or histologically verified diagnoses of brain stem tumour were reviewed. Twenty-one patients (eleven children and ten adults) had scans that were positive for tumour. Nine of these had histological confirmation. Eleven were irradiated without histology on the basis of the clinical diagnosis. The remaining patient was treated expectantly. The other five patients (two children and three adults) had CT and NMR scans that were negative for tumours. Clinical follow-up of these five cases for 9 to 29 months disclosed no further evidence of tumour. All but one tumour had evidence of an increased T1 and T2. Mass effects were seen in all but one case (not the same as the first exception). Multiplanar imaging was useful in determining intra- or extra-axial location as well as tumour extent. Intravenous Gadolinium-DTPA (a paramagnetic contrast agent) showed tumour enhancement in the two patients in whom it was used. NMR showed more extensive abnormality than CT in nineteen patients and similar abnormality to CT in two patients. CT demonstrated calcification better than NMR in the three cases in which it was observed.