Indications for MR mammography. A Belgian study.

The problem of dynamic MR mammography remains its low specificity. Therefore, the examination is only useful when it is performed as a complementary examination and only for good indications. The aim of the study was to analyse the indications for MR mammography in 12 Belgian hospitals and to evaluate whether MRI was useful for these indications. The two most frequent reasons for which MR mammography was performed in these hospitals were a diagnostic problem after clinical examination, mammography and ultrasound, and differentiation between post-therapeutic changes and recurrent disease, both of which are good indications. MRI examinations in the 12 hospitals were useful in patients receiving the examination for a good indication. However, in the group of the known poor indications we see much false positive MRI results.