An early postoperative MRI is recommended following Glioblastoma surgery. This retrospective, observational study aimed to investigate the timing of an early postoperative MRI among 311 patients. The patterns of the contrast enhancement (thin linear, thick linear, nodular, and diffuse) and time from surgery to the early postoperative MRI were recorded. The primary endpoint was the frequencies of the different contrast enhancements within and beyond the 48-h from surgery. The time dependence of the resection status and the clinical parameters were analysed as well. The frequency of the thin linear contrast enhancements significantly increased from 99/183 (50.8%) within 48-h post-surgery to 56/81 (69.1%) beyond 48-h post-surgery. Similarly, MRI scans with no contrast enhancements significantly declined from 41/183 (22.4%) within 48-h post-surgery to 7/81 (8.6%) beyond 48-h post-surgery. No significant differences were found for the other types of contrast enhancements and the results were robust in relation to the choice of categorisation of the postoperative periods. Both the resection status and the clinical parameters were not statistically different in patients with an MRI performed before and after 48 h. The findings suggest that surgically induced contrast enhancements are less frequent when an early postoperative MRI is performed earlier than 48-h, supporting the recommendation of a 48-h window for an early postoperative MRI.
Keywords: Glioblastoma; early postoperative MRI; magnetic-resonance imaging; neuroimaging; postoperative enhancement; postoperative period; time window.