Cardiac masses: Signal intensity features on spin‐echo, gradient‐echo, gadolinium‐enhanced spin‐echo, and TurboFLASH images

Fifteen patients with cardiac or paracardiac masses underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with spin‐echo (n = 15), cine gradient‐echo (n = 15), gadopentetate dimeglumine‐enhanced spin‐echo (n = 15), and TurboFLASH (fast low‐angle shot) (n = 7) sequences. All masses had either histologic confirmation (n = 11) or confirmation with other imaging modalities (n = 4). Myxomas (n = 6) were characterized by an intermediate signal intensity (SI) on spin‐echo (n = 6) and low SI on cine gradient‐echo (n = 6) images and moderately high‐SI contrast enhancement (n = 5). Percent contrast enhancement for myxomas was 57% ± 11%. Thrombus (n = 4) had intermediate (n = 3) or high (n = 1) SI on spin‐echo images and low (n = 2) or intermediate (n = 2) SI on gradient‐echo images and did not show substantial contrast enhancement. Postcontrast first‐pass TurboFLASH images were useful by clearly demonstrating the nonen‐hancing mass lesion in a high‐SI blood pool. Other cardiac and paracardiac tumors (n = 5) showed variable pre‐and postcontrast spin‐echo SI; however, no other tumor showed low SI on cine gradient‐echo images.