The effect of the surroundings to the apparent diffusion coefficient on diffusion weighted imaging

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is now widely used in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the head and body. Moreover, the Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value is often used for the differential diagnosis of the tumor. However, the effect of the surroundings on the ADC value has not been reported. In this study, we used the phantom completely sealed up to measure the change in the ADC value depending on the surroundings material. The results showed that the ADC value decreased according to the density of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) in the surroundings. Clinically, hemorrhage or iron deposit around the tumor may affect the ADC value of the tumor and result in under-estimation.