Mies A. Korteweg1, Jaco J.M. Zwanenburg1,
Vincent O. Boer1, Richard van Hillegersberg2, Paul J.
van Diest3, Peter R. Luijten1, Willem P.Th.M. Mali1,
Wouter B. Veldhuis1
1Radiology, University Medical Center
Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 2Surgery, University Medical Center
Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 3Pathology, University Medical
Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
We
describe the pathology-correlated 7T MRI characterization of dissected
sentinel lymph nodes of breast cancer patients. The mean absolute ADC and T1,
T2, T2* relaxation times were determined. Nodal dimensions and the presence
of a fatty hilus was scored. In 20 patients 83 nodes were excised and scanned,
17 contained metastases. Blood- and lymph vessels and an in-transit
metastasis inside a lymph vessel were identified on MRI. While the location
of intranodal metastases could not be delineated morphologically, there was a
significant difference in T2 and T2* relaxation times between metastatic and
non-metastatic nodes.
Keywords