Current role and future perspective of MRI for diagnosis and characterization of XXXX .

@entity5 @entity1 @entity1358 @entity703
During the past years, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been established as a reliable method for examination of the kidneys. Modern MRI systems enable to visualize renal masses with a high spatial resolution. This enables not only to differentiate between @entity703 but also to define the @entity5 stage with high accuracy. The impact of a precise preoperative staging has increased significantly due to stage adapted therapy approaches such as nephron sparing surgery or local ablative techniques (e.g. radiofrequency ablation). Tumor-related infiltration of the renal pelvis, infiltration of the perinephric fat or a @entity5 thrombus within the inferior caval vein has to be diagnosed with high accuracy to enable these stage adapted treatment regimens. This article introduces into clinically established "morphologic" MRI techniques for diagnosis and staging of @entity1358 ( @entity1358 ). Besides detection and staging of @entity703 , the recent development of molecularly targeted therapies in @entity1 with metastatic or non-operable @entity5 has led to novel diagnostic demands. To evaluate treatment efficiency, more information than just @entity5 morphology should be provided. Functional imaging techniques including dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), arterial spin labeling (ASL) and MR-spectroscopy are being investigated in preclinical and clinical trials. While some new techniques have shown promising results for a broad clinical application, others seem to be suited for dedicated questions only.
