Combining T2-weighted and synthetic double inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging improved rectal cancer T staging

This study aimed at investigating the role of synthetic double inversion recovery (SyDIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in staging rectal cancer (RC). 79 pathologically confirmed RC patients were retrospectively selected. Our results showed SyDIR can provided RC anatomical features for muscular infiltration detection. Compared with using T2WI alone, the combination of T2WI and SyDIR improved the diagnose performance of muscle layer invasion and significantly increase the staging consistency between MRI and pathology for both junior and senior radiologist. Our study indicated the combination of T2WI and SyDIR would be beneficial for RC treatment selection.