Diagnostic use of diffusion weighted mri in differential diagnosis of liver masses

İngilizce ÖzetPURPOSEThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the value of diffusion weighted MRI indifferentiating benign and malignant liver masses by comparing their ADC?s.MATERIALS AND METHODSThirty patients who had liver masses more than 1 cm in diameter detected by routineupper abdominal MRI, were examined with diffusion weighted MRI additionally. Twodifferent diffusion gradients (b values were b=0 and b=1000 mm²/s) were applied in threedifferent directions (x, y, z) using single shot echo-planar SE with 1,5 T MR imager.Diffusion weighted images and ADC maps of 41 liver masses in 30 patients were obtained.Mean ADC values of benign and malignant hepatic lesions were measured and comparedstatistically by Mann- Whitney- U test.RESULTSThe number of benign and malignant masses were 24 and 17 respectively. Benignmasses were consisted of 6 simple cysts, 14 hemangiomas, 2 abcesses and 2 hidatid cysts.Malignant masses were 8 metastatic lesions, 4 hepatocelluler carsinomas, 4 colangiocellulercarsinomas and 1 gall bladder adenocarsinoma. The ADC values of simple cysts andhemangiomas were the highest among all liver masses. The mean ADC values of benign andmalignant liver masses were 2,57 x 10⎯³ mm²/s and 0,86 x 10⎯³ mm²/s respectively. Thedifference between mean ADC values of benign and malignant liver masses was significant(p<0,01 ).CONCLUSIONDiffusion weighted MRI with the help of ADC measurements can be useful in thedifferential diagnosis of benign and malignant hepatic lesions.