Utility of the Diffusion-weighted Images in Hemangiomas

In this study, we report the diagnostic utility of diffusion-weighted MR images in hemangioma. Diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging was performed on five patients with hemangioma. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was determined from images. The average ADC of five hemangiomas was 1.740±0.048. Two cases suspected of hemangiomas by conventional MRI showed far different values of ADC (one was 2.56 in angiolipoma, another was 1.20 in desmoid tumor) on diffusion weighted images. We could therefore differentiate these two cases as hemangiomas. Diffusion-weighted imaging is a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue tumors such as hemangiomas.