Abstract
Aims
We aimed to present our series of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (GI-NETs) in order to illustrate and highlight the associated contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) features. We also attempted to identify a relationship between MDCT imaging and the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) classification system.
Materials and methods
We selected all patients with pathologically proven GI-NETs diagnosed between January 2010 and August 2017. Only patients undergone contrast-enhanced MDCT imaging in the immediate preoperative period were included in our study. Later, two expert radiologists retrospectively assessed MDCT intestinal and extra-intestinal signs. We also analysed the relationship between MDCT imaging and the 2010 WHO classification.
Results
A total of 20 patients (13 males, 7 females, age range 37–89 years, mean age 69.9 years) were included in our study. The majority of GI-NETs (85%) occurred in the small bowel and mainly in the terminal ileum. Forty-five percentage of our GI-NETs were diagnosed after an access to emergency medical service for obstruction symptoms or gastrointestinal bleeding. Regarding intestinal signs, 15/20 patients showed an intraluminal nodular mass and 5/20 a wall thickening. Extra-intestinal signs were present in 75% of cases. Desmoplastic reaction and lymph nodes metastases were significantly correlated with higher grade of GI-NETs.
Conclusions
The majority of GI-NETs appears as intraluminal mass often associated with extra-intestinal signs. We found a significantly correlation between higher grade of GI-NETs and extra-intestinal signs. MDCT imaging may be useful in predicting the pathological classification of GI-NETs.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to the publication of this article. No funding was received for this study.
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All procedures performed in the studies involvement human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Grazzini, G., Danti, G., Cozzi, D. et al. Diagnostic imaging of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (GI-NETs): relationship between MDCT features and 2010 WHO classification. Radiol med 124, 94–102 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-018-0946-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-018-0946-8