Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of breast disease: use of transverse relaxation times.

TLDR

Breast carcinoma detection by MRI relies on distinct relaxation times between benign and malignant tissues, and although current whole‑body scanners cannot yet perform the detailed in vitro analysis, such studies enhance image interpretation and guide future development. The study aimed to determine the range of transverse relaxation times (T2) for normal breast tissue, benign lesions, and carcinoma by analyzing 393 in vitro samples. They performed multiexponential T2 measurements on 393 breast tissue specimens in vitro to establish normal, benign, and malignant relaxation ranges. All T2 values were multiexponential, and benign lesions could be distinguished from invasive and noninvasive carcinoma in fatty or mixed tissues, though overlap occurred in purely fibrous samples.

Abstract

The ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MR) to demonstrate breast carcinoma depends upon significantly different relaxation times in benign and malignant tissues. The authors conducted an in vitro study of transverse relaxation times (T2) of 393 breast tissue samples in order to establish a range of values for normal tissue, benign lesions, and carcinoma. All T2 values were multiexponential. Benign lesions were readily distinguished from both invasive and noninvasive carcinoma in samples containing fat or a mixture of fat and fibrous tissue; however, in purely fibrous samples there was some overlap of T2 values in benign and malignant tissues. Although the data acquisition and analysis requirements involved in this in vitro study exceed the capabilities of present whole-body MR imagers, the added understanding gained through efforts of this type may aid both interpretation of current images and future developments.