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Sinonasal tumors and inflammatory tissues: differentiation with MR imaging
P M Som1, M D Shapiro, H F Biller
1Department of Radiology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, City University of New York, NY 10029.
Radiology
|June 1, 1988
Summary
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is more accurate than computed tomography (CT) for sinonasal tumors. T2-weighted MR studies effectively distinguish tumors from inflammatory tissues based on signal intensity.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Oncology
- Head and Neck Imaging
Background:
- Sinonasal tumors and inflammatory conditions share imaging characteristics.
- Accurate differentiation is crucial for diagnosis and treatment planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomographic (CT) imaging in mapping sinonasal tumors.
- To evaluate the utility of T2-weighted MR sequences in differentiating sinonasal tumors from inflammatory tissues.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of MR and CT images from 53 patients with sinonasal tumors.
- Analysis of MR images from 60 patients with inflammatory sinonasal disease.
- Histopathological confirmation of all diagnoses.
- Inclusion of 47 additional MR images of tumors from other head and neck sites.
Main Results:
- Nearly 95% of sinonasal tumors exhibited an intermediate T2 signal on MR imaging.
- Only 5% of sinonasal tumors showed bright T2 signals, primarily minor salivary gland tumors and neuromas.
- All inflammatory tissues demonstrated bright T2 signals on MR imaging.
- MR imaging proved more accurate than CT in distinguishing between sinonasal tumors and inflammatory tissues.
Conclusions:
- T2-weighted MR imaging is superior to CT for differentiating sinonasal tumors from inflammatory tissues.
- Intermediate T2 signal intensity is characteristic of most sinonasal tumors.
- Bright T2 signal intensity on MR imaging suggests inflammatory tissue or specific tumor types.