Diffusion coefficients in abdominal organs and hepatic lesions: evaluation with intravoxel incoherent motion echo-planar MR imaging

• Published in: Radiology Vol. 210; no. 3; p. 617
• Main Authors: Yamada, I, Aung, W, Himeno, Y, Nakagawa, T, Shibuya, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-03-1999
• Subjects: Abdomen - pathology; Adult; Aged; Ascites - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - diagnosis; Cysts - diagnosis; Diffusion; Echo-Planar Imaging - methods; Female; Gallbladder - pathology; Hemangioma, Cavernous - diagnosis; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Kidney - pathology; Liver - pathology; Liver Diseases - diagnosis; Liver Neoplasms - diagnosis; Liver Neoplasms - secondary; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle, Skeletal - pathology; Pancreas - pathology; Spleen - pathology
• ISSN: 0033-8419
• DOI: 10.1148/radiology.210.3.r99fe17617

To determine the true diffusion coefficients of abdominal organs and hepatic lesions with intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) echo-planar magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
Seventy-eight patients suspected of having hepatic lesions were examined with IVIM echo-planar MR imaging at 1.5 T. There were 77 hepatic masses (27 hepatocellular carcinomas, 10 metastatic tumors, eight hemangiomas, and 32 cysts) in the 78 patients. The true diffusion coefficient D and the perfusion fraction f were calculated and compared with the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC).
Specific values of D were found for abdominal organs (liver, 0.72 x 10(-3) mm2/sec; spleen, 0.80 x 10(-3) mm2/sec; kidney, 1.38 x 10(-3) mm2/sec; gallbladder, 2.82 x 10(-3) mm2/sec) and for hepatic lesions (hepatocellular carcinoma, 1.02 x 10(-3) mm2/sec; metastasis, 1.16 x 10(-3) mm2/sec; hemangioma, 1.31 x 10(-3) mm2/sec; cysts, 3.03 x 10(-3) mm2/sec). The ADCs of solid organs and solid lesions were significantly higher than their D values, indicating a high contribution of perfusion to the ADCs.
Perfusion contributes to the ADCs of abdominal organs and hepatic lesions. The D and f values are useful for the characterization of hepatic lesions.