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Cine MR feature tracking analysis for diagnosing thymic epithelial tumors: a feasibility study
Koji Takumi1, Hiroaki Nagano2, Akie Mukai2
1Department of Radiology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima City, 890-8544, Japan. takumi@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
Summary
Cine MR feature tracking effectively evaluates cardiovascular-induced morphological deformation in thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). This technique helps differentiate thymic carcinomas from thymomas, aiding preoperative diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Oncology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) diagnosis can be challenging.
- Assessing cardiovascular-induced morphological deformation is a potential diagnostic aid.
- Feasibility of cine Magnetic Resonance (MR) feature tracking for TET evaluation is unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of cine MR feature tracking for evaluating cardiovascular-induced morphological deformation in TETs.
- To differentiate between thymic carcinomas and thymomas using this technique.
Main Methods:
- 43 patients with pathologically proven TETs (low-grade thymomas, high-grade thymomas, thymic carcinomas) underwent cine MR imaging.
- Tumor margins were tracked to analyze changes in long-to-short diameter ratio (∆LSR) and tumor area (∆area) due to pulsation.
- Statistical analysis, including Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, and ROC curve analysis, was performed.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in ∆LSR and ∆area were observed among TET groups in both axial and oblique planes (p < 0.05).
- Thymic carcinomas exhibited significantly lower ∆LSR and ∆area compared to thymomas (p < 0.05).
- Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed good diagnostic ability for differentiating thymic carcinomas from thymomas (Area under curve: 0.755–0.764).
Conclusions:
- Cine MR feature tracking analysis of morphological deformation is feasible for diagnosing TET histopathological subtypes.
- This technique can help identify thymic carcinomas preoperatively.
- Morphological deformation assessment using cine MR shows promise in improving TET diagnosis.
