The thymus: what's normal and what's not? Problem-solving with MRI

Anterior mediastinal masses can be difficult to characterise on computed tomography (CT) due to the wide spectrum of normal appearances of thymic tissue as well as the challenge of differentiating between benign and malignant pathologies. Additionally, attenuation of cystic mediastinal lesions can be misinterpreted on CT due to varying attenuation values. Anecdotally, non-vascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thorax is underutilised across radiology departments in the UK, but has been shown to improve diagnostic certainty and reduce unnecessary surgical intervention.
Source: Clinical Radiology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Pictorial Review Source Type: research