OBJECTIVE: The Short Inversion Time Inversion Recovery (STIR) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that minimizes fat signals and produces images different from those obtained by T1-and T2-weighted spin echo (SE). In imaging of gynecologic tumors, T1-and T2-weighted SE sequences have been routinely used. However, the usefulness of STIR in routine MRI examinations for detecting gynecologic tumors has not been reported. So we studied the STIR images in comparison with T1- and T2-weighted SE images.
METHODS: One hundred twenty-one patients with uterine tumors, normal uterus and ovarian tumors who were examined with T1-and T2-weighted SE and STIR between December 1997 and October 1998 were enrolled as subjects. Results of MRI using both techniques were evaluated and images were graded CLEAR, SLIGHTLY CLEAR and UNCLEAR.
RESULTS: As for boundaries between the uterus with uterine tumors, normal uterus, and the pelvic organs, CLEAR accounted for 68.7% of the images on T1- weighted SE, 42.2% on T2-weighted SE and 74.7% on STIR. There were significant differences between T2-weighted SE, and T1-weighted SE (P<.0001) and STIR (P<.0001). In identification of the inner structure of the uterine tumors, CLEAR was 6.3% on T1-weighted SE, 82.5% on T2-weighted SE and 82.5% on STIR. There was no significant difference between T2-weighted SE and STIR. In identification of the inner structure of the tumors, the cases, one is CLEAR and the other is UNCLEAR, are 7 (T2- weighted SE, CLEAR) and 6 (STIR, CLEAR) (total 13) in uterine tumors and 3 (T2- weighted SE, CLEAR) in ovarian tumors.
CONCLUSION: STIR imaging should be used more in a routine MRI examination for gynecologic tumors in addition to ordinary spin echo sequences for T1-and T2- weighted images.

Evaluation of a surgical instrument with right-triangle mounts for diathermic conization of the uterine cervix.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a surgical diathermic instrument with right-triangle mounts for conization of the uterine cervix.
Method: Twenty-five patients who received conization with the surgical instrument were enrolled for this study. Conization feasibility, complications, histopathologic interpretability and therapeutic outcome were assessed.
Results: The mean operating time and amount of bleeding were 10.6±4.1 minutes and 6.8±9.0g, respectively.
There were two cases of post-operative stenosis of the uterine cervical canal. Another two cases had positive margins in cone biopsies. Post-operative smears were postive in still another two cases.
The mean follow-up period was 9.4±11.6 months.
Conclusion: A surgical instrument with right-triangle mounts for diathermic conization of the uterine cervix proved to be usefull.

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcome of the patients operated on for malignant and borderline malignant ovarian tumors to search prognostic factors.
A total of 26 patients who underwent surgery for malignant and borderline malignant ovarian tumors in our hospital between April 1993 to September 2000 were enrolled for this study. Medical records of the patients were reviewed.
Of 26 patients, 24 patients had primary tumors. The outcomes of the patients withprimary tumors were analyzed. The average age of the patients was 60.0 years (range, 30-81). The most frequent cell type was serous tumor. After initial cytoreductive surgery, macroscopic lesions were present in 10 of the 24 patients. There were six postoperative deaths. In the 10 patients in whom tumor removal was incomplete at the firstoperation, two patients underwent a complete operation after chemotherapy. In the eight patients, macroscopic tumors remained. An estimated 5-year survival rate was 100% in stage II, 53.7% in stage III and 0% in stage IV. The patients in stages from IIto IV having the complete operation in the first or second surgery were all alive. However, the 3-year survival rate of those patients having the incomplete operation was25.0%.
Our findings suggested that an increment of the rate of complete operation leads to longer survival.