Potential of diffusion-weighted imaging in magnetic resonance enterography to identify neoplasms in the ileocecal region: Use of ultra-high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging

Abstract

Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease have an increased risk of colorectal cancer, and the differentiation between neoplastic and inflammatory lesions often poses a clinical dilemma. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) enterography with ultra-high b-value facilitates the identification of neoplastic lesions in the ileocecal region. A total of 76 patients (22 patients with neoplasms, 26 inflammatory lesions and 28 normal subjects) from 292 cases of suspected bowel disorders were included in the present study. All patients were examined with conventional MR enterography and DW imaging (DWI) with seven different b-values (400, 600, 800, 1,000, 1,200, 1,500 and 3,000 sec/mm2) in a 3T MR scanner. DWI scans with different b-values were analyzed independently by two radiologists for the presence of ileocecal lesions. The signal intensity of the majority of inflammatory lesions and normal bowel segments gradually decreased to the background intensity with increasing b-values; however, neoplastic lesions demonstrated relative hyperintensity compared with the background. In addition, ~76% of the positive findings from b=3,000 sec/mm2 DWI were neoplasms. In conclusion, a lesion with consistently high signal intensity from DWI images with b-values increasing to 3,000 sec/mm2 indicated the presence of neoplasms. The results suggested that ultra-high b-value (3,000 sec/mm2) imaging may aid the clinical differentiation of neoplasms from benign conditions.