Minimum apparent diffusion coefficient for the differential diagnosis of ganglioglioma.
OBJECTIVE
The utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values was evaluated for the differential diagnosis of ganglioglioma.


METHODS
Ten consecutive patients, five men and five women, aged from 14 to 67 years, with histologically proven supratentorial gangliogliomas, underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with echo planar imaging technique. The minimum ADC (minADC) of each tumor was pre-operatively determined from several regions of interest. The minADC of ganglioglioma was compared with that of low- or high-grade astrocytomas (astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma). Tumor cellularity of gangliogliomas was compared with the minADC.


RESULTS
The mean minADC of the gangliogliomas (1.45 +/- 0.20 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s) was significantly higher than that of the low- or high-grade astrocytomas. Tumor cellularity of ganglioglioma was inversely correlated with the minADC value.


CONCLUSIONS
The minADC value reflects in the low tumor cellularity of gangliogliomas and may provide a method for the differential diagnosis of ganglioglioma.
Kikuchi
Toshio
T
Department of Neurosurgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan.
Kumabe
Toshihiro
T
Higano
Shuichi
S
Watanabe
Mika
M
Tominaga
Teiji
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D018303:Ganglioglioma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged