Expression of total vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inhibitory isoforms of VEGF in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Results: MRI identified 23 desmoids in 9 patients -9 intra-abdominal desmoids (IAD), 10 abdominal wall desmoids (AWD) and four extraabdominal desmoids (EAD).CT only identified 21 desmoidsone EAD and one AWD were not identified.The two modalities were equivalent in terms of defining local extent of desmoid.There was no difference in median desmoid size -56.7 (range 2-215) cm 2 on MDCT and 56.3(3-215) cm 2 on MRI (p¼0.985).The mean MRI-ER -1.12 (standard deviation 0.43)was greater than CT-ER -0.48(0.16)(p<0.0001).High signal intensity on T2-MRI was associated with increased MR-ER (p¼0.006).Conclusions: MRI is superior to MDCT for the detection of desmoids in FAP.Coupled with the advantage of avoiding radiation, it should be considered as the primary imaging modality for young FAP patients.