Comparative Study of MRI and Ultrasound in Diagnosing Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue Tumours

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal soft tissue tumors represent a complex category of neoplasms with varied biological behavior and prognosis. Accurate diagnosis and characterization of these tumors are essential for appropriate management. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Ultrasound (US) are commonly employed imaging modalities for evaluating soft tissue masses. Materials and Methods: This comparative study included 100 patients with clinically suspected musculoskeletal soft tissue tumors. Patients underwent both MRI and Ultrasound evaluations. The imaging findings were compared with histopathological results, which served as the gold standard. Diagnostic parameters including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for both MRI and Ultrasound. Results: Out of 100 patients, 70 cases were diagnosed as malignant and 30 as benign on histopathology. MRI correctly identified 68 malignant and 28 benign cases, with a sensitivity of 97.1%, specificity of 93.3%, PPV of 95.8%, and NPV of 96.6%. Ultrasound accurately diagnosed 60 malignant and 25 benign cases, with a sensitivity of 85.7%, specificity of 83.3%, PPV of 90.9%, and NPV of 76.9%. MRI demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy compared to Ultrasound, particularly in identifying malignancies. Conclusion: MRI is a more reliable imaging modality compared to Ultrasound for diagnosing musculoskeletal soft tissue tumors, particularly in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions. The higher sensitivity and specificity of MRI suggest its preference as the first-line imaging technique in clinical practice for these conditions.

Keywords

• diagnostic accuracy
• magnetic resonance imaging
• musculoskeletal soft tissue tumors
• sensitivity
• specificity
• ultrasound