The study aimed to investigate whether qualitative MR features in combination with texture analysis can distinguish between atypical-appearing uterine leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas.
The researchers examined 41 women with either atypical-appearing leiomyomas or leiomyosarcomas, manually segmenting each tumor on T2-weighted axial MRI. They computed textures for each tumor with a variety of methods, recording the relationships between clinical characteristics, imaging features, and histopathology.
"We identified four qualitative MR features that accurately distinguish leiomyosarcomas from unusual leiomyomas, particularly if a lesion contains three or more of these MR features," lead investigator Dr. Yulia Lakhman told AuntMinnie.com.
Maximum sensitivity was about 95%, with specificity of 69%, according to Lakhman and colleagues.
