The value of magnetic resonance imaging in the staging of musculoskeletal tumours

In view of the changes that are occuring in the management of musculoskeletal tumours and the importance of pricise pre-operative staging, a study to determine the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a modality for this purpose was undertaken. Sixty-four patients were examined and 70 MRI examinations were carried out. Fifteen cases were found to be benign and 49 malignant. As a result of the accuracy of these MRI examinations and their remarkable similarity with the pathological specimens, which was shown to be statistically significant (P<0,005), we propose a modification to the sequence of the diagnostic staging modalities for musculoskeletal tumours. 18 refs., 3 tabs., 14 figs