Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging: State of the art and clinical applications

Breast magnetic resonance imaging is a modality that is being progressively integrated into the breast radiologist's daily clinical practice. There is consensus on the minimal technical requirements that a breast MR exam should have in order to attain diagnostic quality. Diagnostic criteria are mainly based on the American College of Radiology's BI-RADS magnetic resonance imaging categories. Breast cancer staging is a main clinical application, but it is not universally accepted. Other applications are: response evaluation in patients treated with chemotherapy, screeening in high-risk patients, cancer of unknown origin, assessment of a possible relapse and breast implant evaluation. (C) 2010 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.