Distinguishing between cystic teratomas and endometriomas of the ovary using chemical shift gradient echo magnetic...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of chemical shift gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in distinguishing between cystic teratomas and endometriomas of the ovary, using a 1.5T magnet. The study included 22 patients with 31 ovarian lesions (15 cystic teratomas and 16 endometriomas), which showed high signal intensity on T1-weighted spin echo images. Chemical shift gradient echo images with three different echo times (TE = 2.5, 4.5 and 6.5 ms) were obtained in all cases. Indices were calculated on the basis of the signal intensities of lesions on the chemical shift gradient echo images. All endometriomas had signal intensity indices of less than 2.1, while all cystic teratomas had signal intensity indices of 18.1 or greater. Chemical shift gradient echo imaging is an alternative method that is useful and simple for distinguishing between cystic teratomas and endometriomas of the ovary.