| Abstract: |
Often complementary to clinical assessment, imaging of the brachial and lumbosacral plexus can be used to characterize plexus involvement by primary neoplasm, metastases, or conditions related to treatment. The imaging modality of choice, magnetic resonance (MR) without and with contrast, typically includes T1-weighted and fat-suppressed T2-weighted images. MR can delineate primary plexus neoplasms, including benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, and accurately characterizes the extent of plexus involvement due to infiltrative malignancy. In cases in which there is clinical uncertainty between recurrent tumor and radiation injury, MR has been shown to be highly sensitive and specific. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography has also been shown to be useful in excluding recurrent tumor. MR imaging techniques that have been more recently investigated in plexus imaging, including diffusion-weighted imaging, isotropic three-dimensional imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and fiber tractography, show potential to further complement clinical evaluation. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved. |
