Increased accuracy in MR diagnosis of uveal melanoma by carbohydrate loading

Purpose: To evaluate patients with clinically diagnosed uveal melanoma Material and Methods: Forty-eight consecutive patients were examined with spin-echo (SE) and fast spin-echo (FSE) MR sequences that utilized glucosefructose enhancement together with a subtraction technique on a 1.5 T unit Results: Twenty-seven patients were enucleated and the eyes histologically examined for tumours (spindle cell, mixed cell, and epitheloid cell). The remaining patients were referred for other treatment. There were no significant differences in T2 although T2 was longer in the amelanotic lesions. Carbohydrate loading in combination with a subtraction technique gave: an increased signal intensity; a prolongation of T2; and an increased tumour size. The FSE sequences were as good as the SE sequences in the visualization of uveal malignant melanoma Conclusion: MR imaging performed with carbohydrate loading registers metabolic changes induced in the tumour. This gives the method great validity in the diagnosis of uveal melanoma. The method is especially useful in amelanotic tumours that have longer relaxation times than melanotic tumours. The SE technique can be replaced with the FSE technique