Association of T2 signal intensity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of intracranial meningiomas with their consistency – a review

Abstract

Diferents studies have shown a possible association of neuroimaging as a predictor of intratumoral consistency, an important factor during surgery. To identify the correlation between the consistency of intracranial meningiomas and the image of the T2 sequence of magnetic resonance imaging. Using the PRISMA methodology, a search for clinical studies was carried out in the PubMed, Scielo, Medline and Cochrane databases; descriptors: “consistency”, “meningioma”, “MRI” and “prediction”. Twelve articles were found, with seven remaining after the inclusion criteria: articles written in English and published in the last ten years. The T2-weighted magnetic resonance sequence showed highest degree of correlation in the studies discussed, where T2 hyperintensity of soft tumors may be related to a higher water content, while T2 hypointensity for hard tumors may be due to the greater collagen and calcium content. Most studies allow an association to be established between the soft consistency of the tumor and signal hyperintensity in the T2 sequence of magnetic resonance imaging, with the consistency of the tumor being important, as the surgical difficulty and time depend on it. The hyperintensity of the lesion in T2 was associated with the soft consistency of the tumor, seen during the operation, whereas hypointense meningioma in T2 is associated with firm consistency.