Role of magnetic resonance imaging in the radiological management of musculoskeletal tumors.

The treatment of bone tumors has developed from amputation surgery to refined methods of therapy in the last 20 years. Limb-preserving operations in particular require exact documentation of the intra- and extraosseous extent of the tumors. Our clinical study showed that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is equal to or even superior to computed tomography (CT) in regard to the most important radiological criteria. For this reason, MRI can be considered of great value in the radiological management of bone tumors. While CT is in most cases inferior to MRI, there are still special cases which require angiography.