Table 1.
Diagnosis of CNS lesions by location using MRI alone, MRI+MRS, and histopathology
| Supratentorial | Posterior Fossa | Brainstem | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 40 | 17 | 7 | 64 |
| Accurate MRI diagnosisa | 17 (43%) | 15 (88%) | 6 (86%) | 38 (59%) |
| MRI diagnosis “correct” (certain) | 6 (15%) | 9 (53%) | 3 (43%) | 18 (28%) |
| Accurate MRI+MRS diagnosis | 24 (60%) | 16 (94%) | 7 (100%) | 47 (73%) |
| Accurate MRI diagnoses with increased certainty following MRS | 7/17 (41%) | 4/15 (27%) | 3/6 (50%) | 14/38 (37%) |
| MRI diagnosis “incorrect” or “inconclusive” correctly diagnosed by MRS | 8/23 (35%) | 1/2 (50%) | 1/1 (100%) | 10/26 (38%) |
| MRS diagnosis “incorrect” | 2 (5%) | 0 | 0 | 2 (3%) |
| Appropriate change in management following MRS | 17 (43%) | 2 (12%) | 4 (57%) | 23 (36%) |
| Biopsy/resection | 26 (65%) | 16 (94%) | 1 (14%) | 43 (67%) |
| Histopathological diagnosis available | 24 (60%) | 14 (82%) | 1 (14%) | 39 (61%) |
| Central histopathology review requested | 8 (31% of samples) | 0 | 0 | 8 (19% of samples) |
| Histopathology inconclusive | 4 (15% of samples) | 0 | 0 | 4 (9% of samples) |
aAccurate MRI diagnosis = total “correct” (certain) and “partially correct” (uncertain).