Imaging ovarian tumours by nuclear magnetic resonance

The application of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging to the diagnosis of ovarian tumours has been studied in a group of seven patients with ovarian masses and several healthy volunteers who provided examples of normal pelvic anatomy. In three patients, benign unilocular ovarian cysts were demonstrated and in three patients, recurrent ovarian tumours were identified and the extent of the tumours defined. One patient with bilateral ovarian endometriomas was imaged. Endometrial cysts, like masses in other systems which contain blood or lipid-rich material, show high-density images whereas malignant tumours show tissue densities closer to those of normal tissues. The potential value of this technique in the assessment of pelvic disease is discussed.