Abstract
The evaluation of soft tissue tumors should be approached systematically, with careful
assessment of the patient's age, clinical presentation, anatomical location of the
mass, and MRI characteristics. The imaging evaluation of a suspected soft tissue mass
begins with conventional radiography to exclude an underlying osseous lesion and assess
for any lesional calcification. MRI is particularly useful in evaluating the signal
intensity, enhancement pattern, and extent of soft tissue masses that can expand beyond
fascial planes and involve the neurovascular bundle, joint, or bone. Among the common
benign soft tissue tumors, a fairly definitive imaging diagnosis can be made in cases
of lipoma, elastofibroma dorsi, hemangiomas, myositis ossificans, giant cell tumor
of tendon sheath, and peripheral nerve sheath tumors. In the remaining cases, the
differential diagnosis can be narrowed by knowing the patient's demographics and any
associated syndromes, in conjunction with recognizing specific MRI features. Knowledge
of the World Health Organization's tumor designations and the incidence of specific
tumors based on patient age and anatomical location are vital tools for the interpreting
radiologist.
Keywords
MRI - benign - soft tissue - tumor
