Magnetic resonance tomography of the pelvis.

Because magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) has the ability to make cross-sectional images in three planes that have superior contrast between organs, muscle, fat, and bone, its use for the demonstration of pelvic disease shows considerable promise. The normal pelvic anatomy is clearly displayed because of the high contrast between fat and other soft tissues, tumors of the bladder, prostate, ovary, and uterus and because of their different proton relaxation times show high contrast with the normal tissues. MRT has the ability to demonstrate benign and malignant tumors of pelvic organs and to display the extent of local and distal spread. Preliminary observations of its application to the diagnosis of bladder, prostatic, ovarian, and uterine malignancy are discussed. The absence of ionizing radiation for the production of the images allows for the safe imaging of the fetus in utero. Although it is not suggested that MRT should replace ultrasound for the examination of pregnancy, it appears that it will be a useful technique for studying fetal growth and placental function.