Diagnosis Value Of Solitary Fibrous Tumors By CT And MRI

PurposeTo investigate the CT and MRI findings of systemic solitary fibrous tumors(SFTs)in order to improve their recognition.MethodsThirty-three patients with pathologically confirmed SFTs in pleural and extapleural areas admitted in our hospital from January 2013 to April2018 were enrolled in this study.Among them,25 underwent CT scanning,15 received MRI scanning,and 7 underwent both examinations.Their clinicopathological data and imaging features were collected and retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThe tumor masses were located in the head and neck,chest and back,abdominopelvic cavity and the soft tissues of the extremities.On the CT images,the tumors appeared iso-to slightly hypoattenuated masses.While,on the MRI imaging,the majority of the tumors showed iso-to hypointensity on T1 WI,and isodensity,slightly hyperintensity or a pattern of mixed hyper-and hypointensity on T2 WI.On diffusion weighted image(DWI),8 cases were found to be iso-to hypointense,2 cases were iso-to hypointense with patchy hyperintensity.After injection of a contrast agent,25 of the 32 cases demonstrated obviously intense enhancement and 7cases were slightly to moderately enhanced on contrast-enhanced images,all of which persisted in the delayed phase.Twenty of the 25 cases showed consistently map-like enhancement,4 and 1 cases being heterogeneously and homogeneously enhanced,respectively.In addition,multiple big and small vessels were found on the contrast-enhanced images in 19 cases.ConclusionSFTs always persist in the delayed phase,most of which demonstrate map-like enhancement or heterogeneously persistent enhancement,while a few show homogeneous or slight to moderate persistent enhancement on contrast-enhanced images.Notably,image findings including masses with thick,or dotted and stripped blood vessels,iso-to hypointensity on DWI,and increased apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values is of great value for preoperative diagnosis of SFTs.Furthermore,immunohistochemical detection of CD34 and STAT6 can improve the diagnostic accuracy of SFTs.