title: Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the pancreas: current status and recommendations.
abstract: Advances in image quality over the past few years, mainly due to refinements in hardware and coil systems, have made diffusion-weighted ( DW diffusion weighted ) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging a promising technique for the detection and characterization of pancreatic conditions. DW diffusion weighted MR imaging can be routinely implemented in clinical protocols, as it can be performed relatively quickly, does not require administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents, and enables qualitative and quantitative assessment of tissue diffusivity (diffusion coefficients). In this review, acquisition parameters, postprocessing, and quantification methods applied to pancreatic DW diffusion weighted MR imaging will be discussed. The current common clinical uses of DW diffusion weighted MR imaging (ie, pancreatic lesion detection and characterization) and the less-common applications of DW diffusion weighted MR imaging used for the diagnosis of pancreatic parenchymal diseases will be reviewed. Also, the limitations of the technique, mainly image quality and reproducibility of diffusion parameters, as well as future directions for pancreatic DW diffusion weighted MR imaging will be discussed. The utility of apparent diffusion coefficient ( ADC apparent diffusion coefficient ) measurement for the characterization of pancreatic lesions is now well accepted but there are a number of limitations. Future well-designed, multicenter studies are needed to better determine the most appropriate use of ADC apparent diffusion coefficient in the area of pancreatic disease.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Body and Interventional Imaging (M.B., P.S.) and UMR INSERM 965 (M.B., P.S.), Hôpital Lariboisière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 2 rue Ambroise Paré, 75475 Paris Cedex 10, France; Department of Body and Interventional Imaging (M.B., P.S.) and UMR INSERM 965 (M.B., P.S.), Hôpital Lariboisière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 2 rue Ambroise Paré, 75475 Paris Cedex 10, France; Department of Radiology, Body MR Imaging and Translational And Molecular Imaging Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY (B.T.); Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hôpital Le Bocage, Dijon, France (B.G.); Department of Radiology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, England (D.M.K.); Department of Radiology, Hôpital Henri-Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Créteil, France (A.L.); Department of Radiology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy (R.M.); Department of Radiology, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France (V.V.); Department of Radiology, Hôpital Robert Debré, Reims, France (C.H.); Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, Gifu, Japan (M.K.); and Université Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France (P.S.).
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barral
authors.forename: Bachir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Taouli
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guiu
authors.forename: Doh-Mu
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vilgrain
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoeffel
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanematsu
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soyer
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media