脳腫瘍とMRI

Magnetic resonance imaging of brain tumors.

はじめに

　中枢神経系における核磁気共鳴映像（magnetic resonance imaging，MRI）の有用性は広く認められつつある。MRIは高い組織コントラスト分解能を示し，病変の局在の理解においてきわめて有用な診断法であり，脳腫瘍の診断においても有用であるとの報告が多い^2,3）。今回は脳腫瘍の中で，MRIの診断的価値が高かった症例，とくに頭蓋内深部，脳底および大孔部の腫瘍についてその代表例を挙げて解説する。

　Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has so rapidly achieved a capability for evaluating the normal and pathological states of the central nervous system that not only rivals that of computed tomography (CT), but may even surpass it. MRI shows high level of grey-white matter contrast, and lack of bone artifact.

　MRI has multiplane capability that can give transverse, sagittal, and coronal sections and also it demonstrates more detailed information aboutmorphological configuration of the tumor and more clearly its relationship with the surrounding structures than CT.