[Clinical significance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluation of the extension of uterine cervical cancer].

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in 62 patients with uterine cervical cancer and the preoperative MRI findings were compared with the pathological findings following surgery. The surgical stages of 62 patients were 2 at stage 0, 18 at stage Ia, 19 at stage Ib, 9 at stage IIa, 11 at stage IIb, 2 at stage IIIa, and 1 at stage IIIb. The MRI findings in the present study included: (1) the existence of a high intensity area (HIA) in the uterine cervix or minimum thickness of residual normal cervical tissue, (2) necrotic cavity, (3) pyometra, (4) irregular margin of the cervix, (5) parametrial invasion, (6) vaginal invasion, (7) bladder invasion, and (8) lymphnode enlargement. No HIA was observed in any patient with stage 0 or stage Ia, in 8 patients with stage Ib, and in 2 patients with stage IIa, while all patients with cancer tissues greater than 10mm in diameter had a HIA. In 39 patients in whom hysterectomy was undergone without conization, the findings of MRI correlated significantly (r = 0.929, p < 0.001) with the minimum thickness of residual normal cervical tissue by the pathological measurement. When the irregular margin of the cervix was regarded as a disruption of the cervical myometrium by cancer tissue, accuracy was 87%. Furthermore, the degrees of accuracy for parametrial invasion, vaginal invasion and bladder invasion were 92%, 90% and 94%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)