Mies Andrea Korteweg1, Jaco J.M. Zwanenburg1, Paul van Diest2, I. H. Borel Rinkes3, Willem P. Mali1, Peter R. Luijten1, Wouter B. Veldhuis1
1Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 2Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 3Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Nodal status strongly determines prognosis in breast cancer patients. We analyzed morphology and relaxation times of healthy human axillary nodes at 7T, with pathologic examination as the gold standard. Of two axillary lymph node dissection specimens the mean nodal T1, T2*, and T2 relaxation times, as well as the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were determined. Results: Mean T1; 1387.22114.81ms, mean T2*; 18.387.33ms, mean T2; 72.0514.55ms, mean ADC; 0.400.1110-3 s/mm2. MRI allowed detailed identification of B-cell follicles as well as blood- and lymph vessels. MRI correlated well with pathology.