Top Magn Reson Imaging. 2002 Aug;13(4):241-61. doi: 10.1097/00002142-200208000-00005.

Magnetic resonance imaging of congenital, inflammatory, and infectious soft-tissue lesions in children.

Topics in magnetic resonance imaging : TMRI

Ricardo Faingold, Kamaldine Oudjhane, Derek C Armstrong, Pedro A B Albuquerque

PMID: 12409692 DOI: 10.1097/00002142-200208000-00005

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging has the advantages of multiplanar capability and high degree of tissue differentiation. It is useful for assessing the extent of soft-tissue abnormalities, such as vascular malformations, inflammatory and infectious processes, muscle disorders, and limb hypertrophy. Magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive to the presence of water and edema and is a good indicator for early diagnosis of inflammation and its level of activity. Fat-saturation techniques, including T2-weighted sequences and inversion recovery imaging, optimize diagnostic accuracy. T1-weighted images are good at defining the distribution and proportion of fat in the body, so they are useful in evaluating syndromes of the limbs, including vascular malformations, as well as lipoatrophy-lipodystrophy conditions. Magnetic resonance imaging provides guidance for efficient tissue biopsy. It allows comprehensive pretherapeutic assessment of soft-tissue vascular anomalies. It constitutes a good modality for following up the natural history of soft-tissue disorders during childhood.

MeSH terms

• Adolescent
• Child
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Female
• Humans
• Infections / diagnosis
• Lipodystrophy / diagnosis
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
• Male
• Muscular Diseases / congenital
• Muscular Diseases / diagnosis
• Vascular Diseases / congenital
• Vascular Diseases / diagnosis

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Review