Gadolinium-DTPA enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of bone and soft tissue sarcomas in comparison with pathological findings.

We compared gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) enhanced T1-weighted images (T1-Gd) with the histopathological findings in 13 patients with bone or soft tissue sarcomas. Signal intensity of the viable tumor tissue was increased in T1-Gd in 92% of the patients. The necrotic or cystic areas in the tumor were not enhanced, rendering them distinctly. The degree of enhancement of the edematous area around the tumor was similar to or more marked than that of the tumor in 54% of the patients. Area showing inflammatory cells infiltration and edematous areas in the tumor tissue were also enhanced. Thus, the effect of preoperative chemotherapy in tumor tissues other than necrotic and cystic areas tended to be underestimated in T1-Gd. Its effect should be comprehensively evaluated based on not only T1-Gd but also T2-weighted images and findings of other imaging techniques.