Detection of pulmonary nodules using a 2D HASTE MR sequence: comparison with MDCT.

Abstract

The objective of our study was to determine the diagnostic performance of MRI based on a HASTE sequence for the detection of pulmonary nodules in comparison with MDCT. Thirty patients with known pulmonary nodules underwent both MRI and CT. CT of the lung served as the standard of reference and was performed on a 4-MDCT scanner using a routine protocol. MRI was performed with axial and coronal HASTE sequences using a high-performance 1.5-T MR scanner. Image data were analyzed in three steps after completion of all data acquisition. Step 1 was the analysis of all the CT image data. Step 2 was the analysis of all the MR image data while blinded to the results of the CT findings. Step 3 closed with a simultaneous review of all corresponding CT and MRI data, including a one-to-one correlation of the size and location of all the nodules that were detected. Compared with the sensitivity of CT, the sensitivity values for the HASTE MR sequence were as follows: 73% for lesions less than 3 mm, 86.3% for lesions between 3 and 5 mm, 95.7% for lesions between 6 and 10 mm, and 100% for lesions larger than 10 mm. The overall sensitivity of the HASTE sequence for the detection of all pulmonary lesions was 85.4%. An MRI examination that consists of a HASTE sequence allows one to detect, exclude, or monitor pulmonary lesions that are 5 mm and bigger. Suspicious lesions smaller than 5 mm still need to be validated using CT.