What is the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of musculoskeletal tumors?
MRI is the most important diagnostic test for local staging and preoperative planning of primary bone and soft tissue tumors. It is also useful for monitoring the response to chemotherapy or radiation therapy and detecting postoperative tumor recurrence. The use of MRI guidance for biopsy may be considered for lesions that cannot be visualized by any other modality such as a suspected bone marrow lesion. With osteosarcoma, MRI is indicated in the initial workup to evaluate for regional or “skip” metastases in the affected bone, which are frequently radiographically occult.
