1College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
*Corresponding Author: Ashwaq Khalil Hashim, College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Email: qaisajam1981@gmail.com
Online published on 23 December, 2019.
Despite its high sensitivity in detecting spinal intramedullary changes; conventional MRI has limited specificity for distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions. Diffusion-weighted MRI is a promising method that can assist in the identification of atypical hemangiomas and differentiating them from malignant lesions of the spine by assessing the molecular function of the body and its micro-architecture.
To evaluate the value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of and differentiation between atypical hemangioma and malignant lesions of the spine.
This study is a comparative analytical study conducted from May 2018 through May 2019 and included patients from Al-Hilla teaching hospital who underwent both diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) scan for the spine in order to identify and diagnose atypical hemangioma and malignant lesions.
Mean age of study participants was (58.4 ± 15.5) years with a mean body mass index of (24.09 ± 3.76) Kg/m2. Males comprised (66.7%) of study population. Magnetic resonance imaging of cases with atypical hemangioma of spine had shown hypointense T1-weighted image, hyperintense T2-weighted image, and no restriction of diffusion, with mean ADC value of (1.24×10−3 mm2/s), while in cases of metastatic bony lesions of spine there was hypointense T1, hyperintense T2, and restriction of diffusion with mean ADC value of (0.81×10−3 mm2/s).
Diffusion weight magnetic resonance imaging is an effective diagnostic tool for differentiation between atypical hemangioma of spine and malignant bony lesion of spine.
Diffusion-weighted MRI, spine, hemangioma, malignancy
