DW-MRI for Disease Detection

DW-MRI is increasingly recognized as an imaging technique which can increase the contrast between normal and tumour tissues, thus facilitating their detection. High b-value (e.g. b = 750–1,000 s/mm2) DW-MRI increases signal suppression of normal and background tissue, allowing foci of cellular tumour tissues to be identified as areas of high signal intensity. However, the contrast between tumour and its surrounding tissue is influenced by the histology of the tumour, as well as the nature of the tissue in which the tumour resides. In some instances, ADC maps may prove more valuable for disease identification. DW-MRI has been applied for tumour detection in the neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis. The clinical utility of the imaging technique and potential pitfalls are discussed.