Soft tissue sarcomas: Comparison of MR imaging and CT in preoperative staging

Treatment planning for limb salvage surgery requires accurate preoperative determination of local tumor extent. The authors conducted a prospective study evaluating MR imaging and CT in 40 patients with subsequently resected soft-tissue sarcomas. Sensitivity for tumor detection was approximately equal for both modalities, although tumor boundaries were better defined by MR imaging in all cases. Both techniques correctly indicated the degree of neuro-vascular involvement. MR imaging was more sensitive in the detection of bone marrow invasion. MR imaging allowed distinction of postbiopsy hematoma from residual tumor;CT did not