title: Imaging tutorial: differential diagnosis of bright lesions on diffusion-weighted MR images.
abstract: High sensitivity (94%) and specificity (100%) have been reported in the diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. However, high signal intensity on diffusion-weighted MR images and low apparent diffusion coefficient values (similar to the findings in acute cerebral infarction) were reported in such diverse conditions as hemorrhage, abscess, lymphoma, and even Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The differential diagnosis of these conditions (eg, acute ischemic infarction and acute cerebral hemorrhage) is critical for the determination of appropriate treatment. The authors present a systematic review of bright lesions on diffusion-weighted MR images and their differential diagnosis, with emphasis on the practical and clinical approaches of differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Academisch Ziekenhuis AZ Vrije Universiteit, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels, Belgium. cradrew@az.vub.ac.be
authors.forename: Tadeusz W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Stadnik
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demaerel
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Luypaert
authors.forename: Christo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chaskis
authors.forename: Katrijn L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Van Rompaey
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michotte
authors.forename: Michel J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Osteaux
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D011859:Radiography