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Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of pancreas tumours

  • Hepatobiliary-Pancreas
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in diagnosis of pancreas cancer, to compare DWI with a conventional comprehensive MRI (MRI-c) and to analyse apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of lesions. Thirty-six patients with pancreatic lesions (12 malignant and 24 benign) and 39 patients without lesions were included. MRI-c and DWI (free breathing, b values 0 and 500 s/mm2) were performed prospectively and consecutively in a 1.5-T system. The analysis was retrospectively performed blinded by two radiologists in consensus. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values of DWI and MRI-c were 92, 97, 96, 85, 98% and 100, 97, 97, 86, 100%, respectively. Mean ADC values of malignant lesions were significantly lower than those of benign lesions. DWI has a similar accuracy to MRI-c in diagnosis of pancreas cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Radiology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, 141 86, Stockholm, Sweden

    Nikolaos Kartalis, Peter Aspelin & Nils Albiin

  2. Division of Surgery, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Johan Permert

  3. Department of Diagnostic Medical Physics, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden

    Terri L. Lindholm

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  1. Nikolaos Kartalis
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  2. Terri L. Lindholm
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Correspondence to Nikolaos Kartalis.

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Kartalis, N., Lindholm, T.L., Aspelin, P. et al. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of pancreas tumours. Eur Radiol 19, 1981–1990 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-009-1384-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-009-1384-8

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