Magnetic resonance lymphography

Purpose of review The current methods of noninvasively staging retropertioneral lymph nodes are suboptimal. Magnetic resonance lymphography is a new technique that might offer an important new tool in this area. Although it is still in development, more and more studies show that it is highly effective in detecting nodal metastases of various tumors. Recent findings Magnetic resonance lymphography yields higher sensitivity than the reference methods for detecting malignant nodes in patients with prostate, bladder, or testicular cancer. Summary In certain groups of patients with urologic cancer, magnetic resonance lymphography may obviate the need for lymphadenectomy and replace the currently used computed tomography scanning or enhanced magnetic resonance imaging that are based on insensitive size criteria.