2003 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 360-370
On the T2-weighted MR image the endometrial carcinoma has a high signal intensity clearly distinguishable from that of the uterine surrounding normal tissue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the MR-staging in the endometrial carcinoma. Preoperative MR imaging was performed in 152 pathological proven endometrial carcinoma. MR staging of endometrial carcinoma followed clinical staging criteria. The accuracy of MR imaging in predicting the presence or absence of myometrial invasion was 87.5%. The sensitivity and positive predictive value in detecting the tumor extent over the uterine body were as follows, cervical stromal invasion 92.9%, 92.9%, serosal invasion 88.9%, 88.9%, abnormal ascites 80.0%, 100%, metastasis in pelvic cavity 58.8%, 100%, lymph node metastasis 47.4%, 90.0%, metastasis in abdominal cavity 0%, 0%, respectively. The overall accuracy of MR imaging in staging endometrial carcinoma was 70.4%. Over estimating occurred in 5.9%, under estimating in 23.7%. Nineteen of 31 patients (61.3%) with clinical stage greater than III disease were correctly diagnosed. The risk of the tumor invade to extra uterine area that cannot be demonstrated by MR imaging in MR stage Ic (24.2%) were significantly (p<0.05) higher than MR stage within Ib (4.3%). Results of this study indicate that MR imaging is useful for the preoperative evaluation in patients with endometrial carcinoma.
