Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in pretreatment lymph node assessment for gynecological malignancies

Objective: To determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detection of metastasis in pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes from different gynecological malignancies. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross sectional analytic study was conducted at the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi Pakistan from January 2011 to December 2012. A sample of 48 women, age range between 20-79 years, fulfilling inclusion criteria were included. All patients had histopathologically proven gynecological malignancies in the cervix, endometrium or ovary and presented for a pretreatment MRI to our radiology department. Results: MRI was 100% sensitive and had a 100% positive predictive value to detect lymph node metastasis in lymph nodes with spiculated margins and 100% sensitive with a 75% positive predictive value to detect lymph node metastasis in a lymph node with lobulated margins. The sensitivity and positive predictive value of MRI to detect heterogeneous nodal enhancement were 100% and 75% respectively. Conclusions: Our study results reinforce that MRI should be used as a modality of choice in the pretreatment assessment of lymph nodes in proven gynaecological malignancies in order to determine the line of patientmanagement, distinguishing surgical from non-surgical cases.