FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is acceptable imaging to be performed in women with renal lesions incidentally detected during routine antenatal ultrasonography, according to a study in the September issue of Urology.
Lydia G. Johns Putra, M.D., of the University of Melbourne in Heidelberg, Australia, and colleagues studied seven pregnant women (mean age, 31.8 years) who presented with lesions detected on ultrasonography ranging in size from 4 to 14 centimeters.
The researchers found that MRI did not expose the developing fetus to radiation, and allowed for more accurate staging and characterization of the lesions and development of a suitable management plan for the patient, obstetrician, and urologist.
"In one case, MRI was used as surveillance and confirmed tumor growth, resulting in expedited intervention because the patient was willing to accept the risks of elective delivery early in the third trimester in view of demonstrable cancer progression," the authors write. "In another instance, MRI was able to accurately exclude the presence of a solid functioning renal tumor, such as had been suggested on ultrasonography, and avoid early intervention during pregnancy. MRI is likely to have utility in most instances of presumed renal cell carcinoma identified in pregnant women at routine antenatal ultrasonography."
Abstract
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