MRI of the female pelvis: a review.

Overview

MRI of the female pelvis offers a unique display of pelvic anatomy. On the T2-weighted images, uterine zonal anatomy and temporal changes under hormonal stimuli are well displayed. Benign and malignant uterine neoplasms are accurately demonstrated. However, tumor type cannot be diagnosed. In the staging of endometrial and cervical carcinoma, MRI offers distinct advantages over sonography and/or CT. The main advantages are the abilities to depict tumor and to provide great tissue contrast between the tumor and surrounding normal tissue. In the evaluation of ovarian tumors, experience with MRI is still limited. This is only the beginning of the clinical applications of MRI. Much more work needs to be done to explore fully the value of this versatile and powerful technique.