Advanced MR Imaging Techniques in the Diagnosis of Intraaxial Brain Tumors

Abstract

Intracranial masses are a significant health problem and present several imaging challenges. The role of imaging is no longer limited to merely providing anatomic details but the advanced MR techniques permit the assessment of the freedom of water molecule movement, the microvascular structure and hemodynamic characteristics, and the chemical makeup of certain metabolites of lesions. In the current chapter, we will discuss the role of the advanced MR imaging techniques, namely perfusion, diffusion-weighted imaging, and MR spectroscopy in the diagnosis and classification of the most frequent brain tumors in adults. We provide a brief description of the advanced MR techniques that are currently used, and we discuss in detail the imaging findings for each lesion. These lesions include gliomas both high and low grade, metastatic lesions, lymphomas, and lesions that may mimic tumors such as tumefactive demyelinating lesions, abscesses , and encephalitis. Our goal is to summarize the diagnostic information that advanced MR imaging techniques offer for establishing a diagnosis and clinical decision making.