Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography Features of Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumors: Case Series and Review

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore the clinical and neuroradiologic properties of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors. Methods: Data from 6 pediatric patients with atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors, which mainly contained the features of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT), was retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was conducted in all patients through clinic services and/or telephone consultation. Results: The patients included 4 males and 2 females, aged from 3.2 to 83.1 months at the initial diagnosis. All patients had MRI scans. Two patients underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT scintigraphy preoperatively and 4 postoperatively. All primary lesions were located in the cranial cavity and the average diameter of lesions was 37.2 mm. Cerebrospinal fluid spread on enhanced T1-weighted images were found in 2 patients. Multiple metastases were found on MRI and PET/CT scans, which were located at cranial cavity, spinal cord, lung and lymph node. The primary and metastatic lesions showed evident uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose. Two patients underwent total tumor removal, and 4 patients underwent subtotal removal. None of the patients received shunt surgery. Follow-up was performed in all 6 patients. One patient survived event-free 38.4 months after resection. The mean overall survival of the remaining 5 patients was 5.1 months. Conclusion: We identified specific PET/CT and MRI features that can facilitate the recognition of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors prior to biopsy.