Receiver operating characteristic analysis of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in differentiating hepatic hemangioma from other hypervascular liver lesions.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of diffusion-weighted imaging in differentiating between hepatic hemangiomas, both typical and atypical, and other hypervascular liver lesions.


METHODS
Retrospective review of 182 hypervascular liver lesions in 117 patients was performed. Diffusion and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging were performed using a 1.5-T unit. Imaging protocol consisted of T2-weighted fast spin-echo images, breath-hold diffusion-weighted echo-planar images, and breath-hold unenhanced and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted 3-dimensional fat-suppressed spoiled gradient-echo images in the arterial phase (20 seconds) and portal venous phase (60 seconds). Signal intensity changes and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were evaluated for all lesions. Unpaired t test was used to compare the mean ADC values for different lesions, and statistical significance was set at P < 0.01. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the accuracy of diffusion-weighted imaging in differentiating hemangiomas from other hypervascular liver lesions.


RESULTS
Lesions included typical and atypical hemangioma (n = 38), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; n = 58), focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH; n = 22), and neuroendocrine tumor metastasis (NET; n = 64) with a mean tumor size of 5.3 cm. Mean ADC value for hemangioma, HCC, FNH, and NET was 2.29 x 10(-3), 1.55 x 10(-3), 1.65 x 10(-3), and 1.43 x 10(-3) mm2/s, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the ADC value of hemangioma compared with that of FNH (P < 0.001), HCC (P < 0.001), and NET (P < 0.001), respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.91.


CONCLUSIONS
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and ADC maps can provide rapid quantifiable information to differentiate typical and atypical hemangiomas from other hypervascular liver lesions.
Vossen
Josephina A
JA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Buijs
Manon
M
Liapi
Eleni
E
Eng
John
J
Bluemke
David A
DA
Kamel
Ihab R
IR
D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005260:Female; D020518:Focal Nodular Hyperplasia / Q000175:diagnosis; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis; D012372:ROC Curve