Cariboni U, Monti L, Voulaz E, Civilini E, Citterio E, Lisi C, Marulli G. Role of Cine-Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Assessment of Mediastinal Masses with Uncertain/Equivocal Findings from Pre-Operative Computed Tomography Scanning.
Diagnostics (Basel) 2024;
14:1682. [PMID:
39125558 PMCID:
PMC11311384 DOI:
10.3390/diagnostics14151682]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Malignant neoplasms originating from or involving the mediastinum represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge when they are in contact with nearby cardiovascular structures. We aimed to test the diagnostic accuracy of cine-magnetic resonance imaging (cine-MRI) in detecting the infiltration of cardiovascular structures in cases with uncertain or equivocal findings from contrast-enhanced Computed Tomography (CT) scanning.
METHODS
Fifty patients affected by tumors with a suspected invasion of mediastinal cardiovascular structures at the pre-operative chest CT scan stage underwent cine-MRI before surgery at our Institution. Intraoperative findings and the histological post-surgical report were used as a reference standard to define infiltration. Inter- and intra-observer agreement for CT scans and cine-MRI were also computed over a homogenous sample of 14 patients.
RESULTS
Cine-MRI had a higher negative predictive value (93% vs. 54%, p < 0.001) than CT scans, higher sensitivity (91% vs. 16%, p < 0.001), as well as greater accuracy (66% vs. 50%, p < 0.001) in detecting cardiovascular invasion. Cine-MRI also showed better inter- and intra-observer agreement for infiltration detection.
CONCLUSIONS
Cine-MRI outperforms conventional contrast-enhanced chest CT scans in the preoperative assessment of cardiovascular infiltration by mediastinal or pulmonary tumors, making it a useful imaging modality in the preoperative staging and evaluation of patients with equivocal findings at the chest CT scan stage.
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