Objective:

To analyze the diagnostic value of MRI with 3D sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolution (3D SPACE) sequence in T staging of rectal cancer.

Methods:

A total of 178 rectal cancer patients who received surgical resection without neoadjuvant therapy in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between December 2015 and November 2016 were selected.

Among them

107 patients underwent primary MRI with high-resolution T2WI sequence

and 71 patients underwent MRI with 3D SPACE T2WI sequence. The patients received operation in two weeks. The MRI results of T staging were compared with pathological results. The sensitivity

specificity and accuracy were evaluated.

Results:

The overall accuracy of T staging was 75.7% using high-resolution T2WI

83.0% using 3D SPACE. The accuracies of T1 and T2 staging diagnosed by 3D SPACE were higher than those by high-resolution T2WI (T1: 98.6%

vs

. 88.8%; T2: 87.3%

vs

. 75.7%). The accuracy was the same for T3 staging (85.9%

vs

. 86.0%). There were no obvious advantages for T4 staging using 3D SPACE.

Conclusion:

3DSPACE sequence can obtain high signal intensity ratio and high resolution of images

and has advantages for early T staging of rectal cancer.