[Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in gynecology. An evaluation of its current applications]

The authors present a research carried out by the Universities of Essen, Tubingen (RFA) and Grenoble, France, on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (M.R.I.) in gynaecology. After clarifying our knowledge of the normal anatomy of the pelvis and of the tissular characteristics of MRI the principal indications are discussed and set out. The investigation is shown to be particularly valuable in working out the aetiology, the volume and the spread of a pelvic mass whether it is benign or malignant when it is important to be exact in finding the origin of the tumour. This research has been illustrated by analysing 35 case histories including 28 malignant tumours. A second study was carried out on 30 cases of cancer of the cervix. In this field MRI is the only test that can be carried out before therapy to give a tridimensional assessment of the size of the tumour and whether it has spread into the parametrium. The visual impressions obtained by MRI illustrate each chapter: of the gynaecological anatomy, of the pathology, in cancers of the cervix, in pelvic masses and particularly in ovarian tumours.