Skin: MR imaging findings at middle field strength.

Skin tumors were staged at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging on a 0.5-T (middle-field-strength) system, with use of a 2-cm-diameter receive-only surface coil. T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo (SE), fast SE, or three-dimensional (3D) spoiled gradient-recalled imaging were performed in three volunteers and in 13 patients with skin tumors (nine, basal cell carcinoma). MR findings correlated well with histologic findings in the patients (epidermis, relatively hyper-intense on all images; dermis, hypo-intense with irregular interface with subdermal fat). 3D images had the optimal combination of tissue contrast, signal-to-noise ratio, and spatial resolution. MR imaging depicts depth of skin tumor invasion, and findings are complementary to clinical staging.