Staging of bladder carcinoma by magnetic resonance imaging compared with computed tomography and transurethral echography

Various techniques are used for tumor staging of bladder carcinoma such as endoscopic photography, transurethral echography, and computed tomograhic (CT) scan. Endoscopic photography enables easy observation of tumor morphology, but we utilized other approaches to determine the presence or absence of tumor infiltration. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently found widespread use in the staging of tumors. We first employed this approach at our hospital in February 1987. We compared the diagnostic accuracy rate of MRI with that of transurethral echography and CT scan in 10 cases of bladder tumor. The diagnostic accuracy rate of MRI was 70%, while that of transurethral echography and CT scan was 40% and 50%, respectively. We concluded that MRI was very useful in the diagnostic staging of bladder tumor. (author)