Department of Urology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Department of Radiology, Ochanomizu Surugadai Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in differentiating between minimal fat angiomyolipoma (MFAML) and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC). Forty-one solid renal tumors without visible macroscopic fat on unenhanced computed tomography images were evaluated by MRI, including DW-MRI, and were diagnosed pathologically as CCRCC (n = 36) or MFAML (n = 5). To evaluate the heterogeneity of diffusion in each tumor, the signals of the tumors on DW-MRI were analyzed subjectively and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and histograms assessed objectively. Thirty-three of 36 CCRCC (92%) exhibited a heterogeneous signal on DW-MRI and several peaks in the ADC value histogram, whereas four of five MFAML exhibited a homogeneous signal on DW-MRI and a single prominent peak in the histogram. The standard deviations of the ADC values were significantly smaller for MFAML than for CCRCC (P = 0.0015). In conclusion, DW-MRI can be considered a useful and noninvasive addition to the preoperative differentiation of CCRCC and MFAML.
Written by:
Tanaka H, Yoshida S, Fujii Y, Ishii C, Tanaka H, Koga F, Saito K, Masuda H, Kawakami S, Kihara K. Are you the author?
Reference: Int J Urol. 2011 Aug 4. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2011.02824.x
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 21815937
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