MR-tomography in the diagnosis of malignant soft-tissue tumours

Nine patients with malignant, peripheral soft-tissue tumours were examined using a 0.35 T MR equipment. In 7 cases in which tumour presence was surgically verified, a definite identification as well as an exact determination of tumour extension was achieved using MR. The various tumours exhibited a particularly high degree of contrast when using a T2-weighted Spin-Echo-(SE) as well as the T1-weighted Inversion-Recovery-(IR) mode. The T1- and T2-relaxation times of the soft-tissue malignancies evaluated in this study were markedly longer than those obtained for normal tissue. In 2 patients within the collective, a definite exclusion of tumour recurrence was possible.