[Magnetic resonance tomographic identification and characterization of renal space-occupying lesions using...

In modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gradient echo (GE) sequences have been shown to be superior to conventional spin echo (SE) sequences in characterising renal masses and staging renal tumours. In this study MRI was carried out in patients with renal masses (n = 97, histologically proven n = 43) using a fast GE-sequence (multislice technique, TR/TE 80/5 ms) and an i.v. bolus application of gadolinium (Gd)-DTPA mostly in axial, in selected cases additionally in coronal slice orientation. MRI findings were compared with those of contrast-enhanced CT (n = 56). The results demonstrated that MRI under Gd-DTPA has a reliably good image quality and can characterise renal masses safely. Compared with CT in multislice MRI problems of partial volume effects can be reduced; complex renal cysts can be differentiated more safely from solid tumours with unclear CT findings due to a significantly higher contrast enhancement in MRI.