OBJECTIVE: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed with an MR endoscope to evaluate the depth of invasion of rectal carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with rectal carcinomas were studied prior to surgery with MRI using a 3D-fast spoiled GRASS (SPGR) sequence, a nonmagnetic endoscope and an antenna probe. RESULTS: The MR images on 3D-fast SPGR sequence showed that the normal bowel mucosa had a high signal intensity, the submucosal layer had a low signal intensity, and the muscularis propria had moderate signal intensity. Small tumors had moderate signal intensity similar to the muscularis propria. Advanced tumors with considerable volume revealed heterogeneous findings with intermediate and low signal intensities. The depth of wall invasion by rectal carcinoma was correctly staged with endoscopic MRI in 16 of 22 patients. CONCLUSION: This technique may be useful for the accurate staging of the depth of invasion by rectal carcinomas.

Carcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical evaluation of assistant diagnostic system for mammograms using the auto-analyzing method.

Clinical usefulness of a newly developed auto-analyzing system of mammograms to search the abnormal dense areas such as cancer lesions was studied. 345 breasts including 86 cancers, 52 mastopathies, 18 fibroadenomas, 13 cysts, 4 lipomas and 172 normals were analyzed and compared with final diagnosis. 84 of 86 cancer lesions were correctly pointed out (sensitivity: 97.9%). Based on the gradient of the density, the ranking of the cancer or calcified lesions among suspected regions in a mammogram was decided. 55 lesions of them (64.0%) were ordered at the first rank and 83 (96.5%) were in the upper three ranks. 68 of 74 breasts with calcifications were correctly diagnosed and 48 of them were ranked in the upper three ranks. Although further improvement of the system is needed, this system will be a useful assistance for screening the breast cancer in the analyses of mammograms.

Breast Neoplasms↗