Tumor detection with phase-contrast imaging: an evaluation of clinical potential

The conspicuity of a variety of human tumors outside the liver, with a broad spectrum of histologic types, was evaluated using phase-contrast imaging (proton chemical shift imaging, proton spectroscopy) and the results compared with the data obtained using routine T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequences. In all cases, tumors were most conspicuous using the phase-contrast technique. In two instances, the tumors could be discerned only by this method, being undetectable by any routine MR pulse sequence. The use of phase-contrast imaging is recommended as an adjunct to standard MR sequences when evaluating for either the presence or extent of a tumor, regardless of its anatomic location or histologic type.