Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in preoperative T and N staging of rectal cancer. Method 82 patients with rectal cancer admitted to Yingde people's Hospital from January 2023 to March 2025 were selected. All patients underwent multimodal MRI. The diagnostic value of multimodal MRI in preoperative T N staging of rectal cancer was evaluated based on the results of postoperative pathological examination as the gold standard. Result Among 82 patients with rectal cancer, pathological examination showed that there were 16 cases in T1 stage, 21 cases in T2 stage, 32 cases in T3 stage and 13 cases in T4 stage; There were 18 cases in N0 stage, 45 cases in N1 stage and 19 cases in N2 stage. The results of multimodal MRI showed that there were 15 cases in T1 stage, 25 cases in T2 stage, 30 cases in T3 stage and 12 cases in T4 stage; There were 22 cases in N0 stage, 44 cases in N1 stage and 16 cases in N2 stage. The consistency of multimodal MRI in preoperative T,N staging of rectal cancer was good, Kappa=0.848, 0.777（P ＜ 0.001）. The specifi city of multimodal MRI in preoperative T staging of rectal cancer was higher (P ＜ 0.05); There was no significant difference in the sensitivity and accuracy of multimodal MRI in preoperative T and N staging of rectal cancer (P ＞ 0.05). Conclusion Multi-modal MRI demonstrates high diagnostic consistency in preoperative T and N staging of rectal cancer and serves as a reliable tool for preoperative evaluation. Its high specificity makes it particularly effective in excluding non-tumoral infiltration, thereby supporting its use as a valuable imaging modality for preoperative planning.

Key words: Rectal cancer, Multi-modal, Magnetic resonance imaging, T and N staging, Diagnostic performance