title: Whole-body MR-DWIBS vs. [18F]-FDG-PET/CT in the study of malignant tumors: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to assess the overall diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background signal suppression (MR-DWIBS) compared with ([(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT), considered the reference standard of whole-body tumour imaging modalities, in a series of consecutive patients with malignant tumour.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight patients diagnosed with a malignant tumour over a 4-month period were enrolled in this retrospective, observational study. PET/CT and MR-DWIBS images were reviewed in double-blind manner by a nuclear medicine physician and radiologists with 4 years experience. Lesion size, standard uptake value (SUV) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured and calculated for each lesion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The qualitative analysis of MR-DWIBS and [(18)F]-FDG-PET/CT showed that two patients were negative at both techniques. MR-DWIBS was positive in 36 patients, 34 of whom were positive and two negative at [(18)F]-FDG-PET/CT, respectively. Two hundred and fifty-five lesions were identified by MR-DWIBS and 184 by [(18)F]-FDG-PET/CT, which was a significative discordance. Correlation between SUV and ADC of lesions positive at both techniques was not statistically significant. The mean difference between lesion size in [(18)F]-FDG-PET/CT and MR-DWIBS was not statistically significant. No correlation was found between glucose metabolism and water motion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MR-DWIBS may be used to evaluate localisation of parenchymal neoplasms but is less efficacious in characterising lymph-node and skeletal lesions. [(18)F]-FDG-PET/CT remains the best whole-body technique to identify lymph-node and skeletal lesions, but its limitation is identifying tumours with low glucose metabolism as in mucinous neoplasms. MR-DWIBS evaluation must be integrated with morphological images to increase MR diagnostic accuracy.
authors: Ricerche Radiologiche, Molfetta, Italy.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Cafagna
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Rubini
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Iuele
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Maggialetti
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Notaristefano
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Pinto
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Niccoli-Asabella
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Palmiotti
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Lasciarrea
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Maggialetti
mesh_terms: D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18