Texture analysis sorts out uterine findings at MRI

With the help of texture analysis, MRI can distinguish between two uterine findings that have traditionally been difficult to separate, a group from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center reports.

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.