Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI Improves Detection of Lymph Nodes Metastases BETEHSDA, Md -- February 1, 2010 -- Addition of the contrast agent gadolinium during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for primary tumour assessment improved accuracy for detecting lymph node metastases, according to a study published online February 1 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI is primarily used to visualise primary tumours, highlight tumour vascularity, and increasingly to detect and evaluate lymph node metastases. In light of this systematic review, the authors recommend that contrast highlighting be included as a malignancy criterion when this agent is used for primary tumour visualisation. Wenche M. Klerkx, MD, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands, and colleagues searched the literature for studies that compared the diagnostic accuracy of gadolinium-enhanced MRI for staging lymph node metastases with that of histopathologic examination. They conducted a meta-analysis that encompassed more than 30 studies from the last 10 years and reported summary sensitivity and specificity of MRI for detecting nodal metastases. The researchers found that overall accuracy of gadolinium-enhanced MRI for the detection of nodal metastases was moderate. They also concluded that incorporating contrast enhancement in the malignancy criteria improves the accuracy of this diagnostic test. “We further advocate the use of uniform malignancy criteria, including contrast enhancement, for standardisation of future evaluations,” the authors wrote. “Gadolinium enhancement by itself does not have the diagnostic accuracy to replace histopathologic examination of lymph nodes; however, it can help identify suspicious lymph nodes that should be surgically collected for histopathologic examination.” Not all of the included studies reported diagnostic study quality, which precluded formal analyses based on the quality assessment items. A regression test for small-study effects was statistically significant, indicating that the retrieved studies had results that may not be representative of the full range of evidence that has been produced (publication bias). In the overall analyses of the diagnostic accuracy of gadolinium-enhanced MRI for the detection of lymph node metastases, studies were pooled without regard to the primary tumour site. SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version