[Nuclear spin tomography in brain tumors. Evaluation of 40 confirmed cases]

Forty histologically confirmed primary and secondary cerebral tumours are described. These contained fifteen primary tumours, five adenomas of the hypophysis, four hamartomas or lipomas and craniopharyngiomas, three meningiomas and three vascular malformations. One malignant lymphoma, one chordoma and eight cerebral metastases were also included. In our series, the accuracy of CT and MR were the same, particularly since most patients coming for MR had abnormal CT findings. MR was superior in demonstrating vascular malformations and sometimes in the differential diagnosis of tumour versus infarct. MR is also more accurate in demonstrating the extent of a tumour and of infiltration, since it is possible to obtain images in several planes. Disadvantages of MR are related to the characterisation of primary brain tumours, since the signals from these tumours failed to show characteristic differences. Calcification cannot be recognised. In sixteen out of 36 patients, MR proved superior, whereas CT was superior in five. Tumour-related oedema was present in 18 cases and demonstrated by MR in seventeen. CT failed to differentiate tumour from oedema on one patient.