Evaluation of pulmonary parenchymal disease by magnetic resonance imaging.

Thirty-eight patients with a wide variety of different disorders of the lung have been imaged using magnetic resonance. The disorders studied include congenital abnormalities, acute and chronic inflammation, vascular disorders, primary and secondary tumours of the lung, haematomas and infarcts. Magnetic resonance imaging identified all lesions seen on chest radiographs, but it is not quite as sensitive as computed tomography is for detection of very small abnormalities. Magnetic resonance may provide information to aid in differentiation of a wide variety of disorders causing diffuse pulmonary abnormality and might also prove helpful in differentiating acute inflammation from pulmonary collapse or fibrosis. In some disorders, such as lobar emphysema, cystic adenomatoid malformation and sequestration, the findings on the magnetic resonance scan alone will permit a correct diagnosis to be made in many cases. It is believed that magnetic resonance imaging has more potential for pulmonary imaging than has previously been recognised.