Staging of bladder carcinoma: MRI-CT-surgical correlation

Eleven patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were examined with spin-echo MRI using a superconductive magnet operating at a field strength of 0.35 T. MRI results were compared with the CT findings in 10 of the patients. All subjects later underwent radical cystectomy including pelvic lymph-node dissection. MRI accuracy for staging was 64% using the TNM classification and 73% by the Jewett-Strong-Marshall system while CT accuracy was 40%. MRI provided improved demonstration of tumor invasion of perivesical fat planes, prostate, and seminal vesicles and greater anatomic detail was afforded by direct sagittal and coronal views.