Does pelvic magnetic resonance imaging differentiate among the histologic subtypes of uterine leiomyomata?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is reliable for differentiating leiomyoma subtypes.

DESIGN: Prospective study.

SETTING: Academic center.

PATIENT(S): Forty-five patients underwent MRI before surgery for leiomyomata.

INTERVENTION(S): One radiologist blinded to patient history and histologic diagnosis recorded the MRI characteristics and classification of the largest leiomyoma.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Comparison of MRI and histologic diagnoses.

RESULT(S): Leiomyoma subtypes were diagnosed accurately by MRI in 69% of cases. Magnetic resonance imaging had a 95% sensitivity and 72% specificity for diagnosing an uncomplicated leiomyoma and a 10% sensitivity and 100% specificity for a cellular leiomyoma. For cystic leiomyomata, the sensitivity was 80% and specificity was 98%, and for hemorrhagic leiomyomata, 100% and 86%, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging correctly diagnosed all malignant tumors and did not incorrectly diagnose a leiomyoma as a leiomyosarcoma in any case. Ill-defined MRI margins were significantly more likely to be leiomyosarcoma, whereas well-defined margins were characteristic of benign lesions. Hemorrhagic leiomyomata were significantly more likely to be hyperintense on T1-weighted images than other subtypes.

CONCLUSION(S): Although MRI is only fairly accurate in differentiating the subtypes of benign uterine smooth muscle tumors, signal intensities and margin characteristics are useful to distinguish accurately benign from malignant tumors.