Endorectal surface coil MR imaging as a staging technique for rectal carcinoma: a comparison study to rectal endosonography

Abstract

ERSCMRI produced greater overall accuracy in staging for rectal carcinoma than did EUS.

The ability of phased-array MRI in preoperative staging of primary rectal cancer: correlation with histopathological results

“…Spatial resolution has dramatically improved with advances in MRI techniques, such as the use of endorectal and phased-array coils (22,23). Current evidence suggests that MRI is the most accurate technique for predicting tumor stage (24) because it provides an assessment of the local prognostic factors, including the extent of extramural tumor spread, the involvement of the lateral resection margin, the involvement of neighboring organs in the pelvis, the presence of local lymph node metastases, extramural lymphovascular infiltration and peritoneal involvement (9,25,26).…”

Local staging of rectal cancer using combined pelvic phased‐array and endorectal coil MRI

“…Blomqvist et al (35) and others (20,36) obtained similar results using an endorectal coil with a pelvic phased-array coil compared to use of pelvic phasedarray coil only. However, those studies evaluated a small number of patients and included predominantly stage III tumors.…”

“…An endorectal coil provides a high SNR and therefore can be used to discriminate individual layers of the rectal wall and differentiate the muscularis propria from the submucosa and mesorectal fat (17). As a result, endorectal-coil MRI has been shown to have higher T-stage accuracy, ranging from 71% to 85% (17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Moreover, excellent depiction of sphincter infiltration in lower rectal tumors can be achieved (31).…”

“…Moreover, excellent depiction of sphincter infiltration in lower rectal tumors can be achieved (31). However, the FOV is limited within 3 cm around the coil, and as a result the upper rectal tumors, lateral pelvic, and inferior mesenteric nodal involvement cannot be evaluated effectively (20,31).…”

“…The additional application of a pelvic phased-array coil improves the SNR at distance of Ͼ3 cm from the endorectal coil (32). Therefore, the combined use of an external pelvic phased-array coil and an endorectal coils permit optimal evaluation of the status of the bowel wall, and lymph nodes and organs that are more than 3 cm away from the endorectal coil, including the iliac nodes and tumors that are located in the upper third of the rectum (20,32).…”