Role of diffusion-weighted echo-planar MRI in distinguishing between brain brain abscess and tumour: a preliminary report.
Our purpose was to evaluate diffusion-weighted (DW) echo-planar MRI in differentiating between brain abscess and tumour. We examined two patients with surgically confirmed pyogenic brain abscess and 18 with metastatic brain tumours or high-grade glioma, using a 1.5 T system. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of each necrotic or solid contrast-enhancing lesion was measured with two different b values (20 and 1200 s/mm2). All capsule-stage brain abscesses (4 lesions) and zones of cerebritis (2 lesions) were identified on high-b-value DWI as markedly high-signal areas of decreased ADC (range, 0.58-0.70 [(10-3 mm2/s; mean, 0.63)]). All cystic or necrotic portions of brain tumours (14 lesions) were identified on high-b-value DWI as low-signal areas of increased ADC (range, 2.20-3.20 [(10-3 mm2/s; mean, 2.70)]). Solid, contrast-enhancing portions of brain tumours (19 lesions) were identified on high-b-value DWI as high-signal areas of sightly decreased or increased ADC (range, 0.77-1.29 [(10-3 mm2/s; mean, 0.94)]). Our preliminary results indicate that DW echo-planar MRI be used for distinguishing between brain abscess and tumour.
Noguchi
K
K
Department of Radiology, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama City, Japan.
Watanabe
N
N
Nagayoshi
T
T
Kanazawa
T
T
Toyoshima
S
S
Shimizu
M
M
Seto
H
H
D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis