The role of whole -body mri examination in oncological and non-oncological diseases
Abdo Abdelnasser Abdeltawab Hassan;
Abstract
Supported by technical developments in the past decades the ability to use MRI as a rapid imaging tool for the whole body has now been revisited.
Initially, the sequential scanning approach for WB-MRI consisted of separate scanning steps of T1-weighted and STIR (short tau inversion recovery) imaging at five body levels. Later, attempts to overcome FOV restrictions and increase patient comfort were based on a rolling platform concept mounted on top of the scanner table, making the patient glide in between a “coil sandwich” and with the introduction of multi-channel MR scanners, using a system of multiple phased array coils covering the whole body like a matrix, imaging became possible. In particular, the combination of free table movement with parallel imaging acquisition techniques (PAT) resulted in substantially shorter room time and allowed to integrate otherwise time-consuming, but indispensable sequence types . A promising new concept for WB-MRI is the continuously moving table technique with the use of PAT.
The principal application of whole body MRI is in detecting skeletal metastases as an alternative to skeletal scintigraphy. In addition to improving detection of skeletal metastases, whole body MRI may allow simultaneous evaluation of soft tissue organs and in so doing facilitate an overview of total tumour burden in an affected patient. In effect, rather than multimodality staging integrating skeletal scintigraphy with computed tomography of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis at the expense of radiation dose, a single whole body MRI scan may facilitate assessment of total tumour burden, particularly in patients whose tumours spread preferentially to brain, bone, and liver, such as breast and lung tumours. In this setting, tumour staging is done without exposing the patient to radiation.
In pediatric oncology, WB-MRI offers great potential to provide critical information in evaluating initial tumour staging, early treatment responses and follow up.
Initially, the sequential scanning approach for WB-MRI consisted of separate scanning steps of T1-weighted and STIR (short tau inversion recovery) imaging at five body levels. Later, attempts to overcome FOV restrictions and increase patient comfort were based on a rolling platform concept mounted on top of the scanner table, making the patient glide in between a “coil sandwich” and with the introduction of multi-channel MR scanners, using a system of multiple phased array coils covering the whole body like a matrix, imaging became possible. In particular, the combination of free table movement with parallel imaging acquisition techniques (PAT) resulted in substantially shorter room time and allowed to integrate otherwise time-consuming, but indispensable sequence types . A promising new concept for WB-MRI is the continuously moving table technique with the use of PAT.
The principal application of whole body MRI is in detecting skeletal metastases as an alternative to skeletal scintigraphy. In addition to improving detection of skeletal metastases, whole body MRI may allow simultaneous evaluation of soft tissue organs and in so doing facilitate an overview of total tumour burden in an affected patient. In effect, rather than multimodality staging integrating skeletal scintigraphy with computed tomography of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis at the expense of radiation dose, a single whole body MRI scan may facilitate assessment of total tumour burden, particularly in patients whose tumours spread preferentially to brain, bone, and liver, such as breast and lung tumours. In this setting, tumour staging is done without exposing the patient to radiation.
In pediatric oncology, WB-MRI offers great potential to provide critical information in evaluating initial tumour staging, early treatment responses and follow up.
Other data
| Title | The role of whole -body mri examination in oncological and non-oncological diseases | Other Titles | دور التصوير بواسطة الرنين المغناطيسى للجسم بأكمله فى فحص الأمراض السرطانية والغير سرطانية | Authors | Abdo Abdelnasser Abdeltawab Hassan | Issue Date | 2014 |
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