[Contrast media for magnetic resonance tomographic lymph node diagnosis (MR lymphography)]

In MR-imaging, similar to computed tomography, diagnosis of metastatic lymph-node disease is based on lymph-node sizes, and thereby it is non-specific. Super-paramagnetic iron oxide as a potential contrast medium for MR-lymphography accumulate in normal lymph node tissue after endolymphatic, interstitial and, in case of very small particles, after intravenous injection. No accumulation occures in lymph node metastases. Lymph-node metastases can be detected by all three injection techniques. It has been shown experimentally, that in particular small metastases can be detected in normal sized lymph nodes. However, MR-lymphography also has inherent methodologic problems, as there may occure an uneven distribution of the contrast medium between different lymph-node groups. The experimental results with endolymphatic, interstitial, and intravenous MR-lymphography as well as first clinical results with intravenous contrast medium injection are presented and discussed.