Jean-Luc Drape, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Antoine Feydy MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Didier Godefroy MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Sebastien Malan MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Celine Andreux MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Alain Chevrot MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To compare the diagnostic accuracies of conventional MRI and MR angiography (MRA) in the diagnosis of glomus tumors of the fingertip.

Fifty-nine surgically proved glomus tumors of the fingertip (40 solitary, 10 recurrent and 9 multiple tumors) were imaged by conventional MRI and 3D post-enhanced MRA. Two successive data sets (arterial and venous times) were acquired. STIR, T1-weighted slices before and after injection of gadolinium were compared to MIP reformatted images of MRA by two musculoskeletal radiologists.

There was a complete agreement for the locations and sizes of the tumors between the two imaging modalities in 50/59 cases (85%). In the other 9 cases, MRA was negative in 3 cases and conventional MRI was negative in 6 cases. In these 6 cases the tumors were smaller than 2 mm without a significant enhancement and a bone erosion. Most of them located beneath the nail matrix where the surrounding nail bed showed a significant enhancement. MRA showed ill defined limits of the tumor more often than MR slices (18 versus 7). At the arterial time, the tumor blush may be absent (n=6) or smaller than at the venous time (n=30). MRA was particularly useful to detect tumors involving several fingers in the same patient (4 patients) and recurrent tumors blurred by scar tissue on MRI slices (2/9).

MRA of glomus tumors is complementary of conventional MR slices. It may highlight occult tiny tumors with insufficient contrast on conventional MRI.

Drape, J, Feydy, A, Godefroy, D, Malan, S, Andreux, C, Chevrot, A, Glomus Tumors of the Fingertip: Conventional MRI and MR Angiography Comparative Study.  Radiological Society of North America 2004 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 28 - December 3, 2004 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2004/4409001.html