Background: Familiarity with the imaging characteristics and basic management of incidental osseous and cartilaginous findings detectable on breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations is a crucial skill for breast imagers. It is essential that breast imagers interpreting MRI examinations accurately identify pertinent bone/cartilage findings when present and understand the best next step imaging work-up.
Learning Objectives: 1. Establish a knowledge base designed to aid in accurate detection of osseous and cartilaginous lesions on contrast enhanced MRI examinations via a review of key MRI characteristics for each pathology as well as MRI sequence specific imaging characteristics to differentiate entities from one another. 2. Review multimodality imaging correlates for each of the covered MRI bone and cartilage pathologies.
Abstract Content/Results: 1. This pictorial review examines the common and uncommon bone and cartilaginous entities that can and should be detected by breast imagers interpreting contrast enhanced breast MRI examinations. 2. Reviewed pathology includes multimodality imaging case presentations (including MRI, computed tomography, Bone scan and PET) of bone/cartilage findings as detected on contrast enhanced breast MRI examinations performed at our institution, including: 1. Osseous hemangioma 2. Traumatic versus pathologic rib fracture 3. Osseous metastasis (lytic versus sclerotic) 4. Benign cartilaginous pathologies (e.g. enchondroma)
Conclusion: Accurate interpretation of incidental bone and cartilaginous entities, when present on imaging, is essential to breast MRI interpretation. This pictorial review provides a targeted imaging review of key MRI characteristics and evidence-based management pearls designed to serve as an educational tool for breast imagers interpreting breast MRI examinations.
