To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Study Finds MRI Vital in Surgical Planning for Rectal Cancer Patients URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/223246.htm Doctor's Guide June 6, 2008
Leesburg, VA -- June 6, 2008 -- Three Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can accurately stage, and help surgeons plan sphincter-sparing surgery in patients with rectal cancer, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Shandong, China. "Recently, MRI has been increasingly accepted by radiologists, surgeons, and patients to image the rectum because of its superior soft-tissue contrast and multi-planar capability," said Chuanfu Li, MD, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, lead author of the study. "Most rectal MRI studies have used field strength of 1.5 Tesla or less. Only 2 recent studies focus on 3T MRI for diagnosing and staging rectal cancer. "No standard protocol is available for 3T MRI of the rectum, which may cause inconsistent diagnostic accuracy among institutions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the image quality of various 3T MRI sequences for preoperative staging and planning of sphincter-sparing rectal cancer resection," he said. The study included 39 patients, who underwent 3T MRI. According to the study, rectal carcinoma was identified on MRI and confirmed histologically in all 39 patients. The study showed that MRI findings correctly identified 31 of 32 resectable cases, and sphincter-sparing approaches were accurately chosen on the basis of the MRI findings. "In addition to accurate tumour staging, MRI contributes to surgical planning by showing the relationship of tumour to the sphincter and levator ani muscles on good quality coronal and sagittal images," said Dr. Li. "This technique can give the surgeons a higher level of confidence," he said. SOURCE: American Journal of Roentgenology --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.