Soft-Tissue Tumors and Tumorlike Lesions: A Systematic Imaging Approach

Published Online:Nov 1 2009https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2532081199

Abstract

Ultimately, if a lesion cannot be characterized as a benign entity, it should be reported as indeterminate, and the patient should undergo biopsy to exclude malignancy.

Soft-tissue lesions are frequently encountered by radiologists in everyday clinical practice. Characterization of these soft-tissue lesions remains problematic, despite advances in imaging. By systematically using clinical history, lesion location, mineralization on radiographs, and signal intensity characteristics on magnetic resonance images, one can (a) determine the diagnosis for the subset of determinate lesions that have characteristic clinical and imaging features and (b) narrow the differential diagnosis for lesions that demonstrate indeterminate characteristics. If a lesion cannot be characterized as a benign entity, the lesion should be reported as indeterminate, and the patient should undergo biopsy to exclude malignancy.

References

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Article History

Received July 9, 2008; revision requested August 28; revision received February 16, 2009; accepted March 9; final version accepted March 23.
Published in print: Nov 2009

Vol. 253, No. 2

Abbreviations

Abbreviations:

GCT	giant cell tumor
PNST	peripheral nerve sheath tumor
SE	spin echo
SI	signal intensity
SPGR	spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state
WHO	World Health Organization

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