The diagnostic value of combining conventional, diffusion-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI for salivary gland tumors

Objective:To determine the diagnostic value of combining conventional MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in salivary gland tumors.Methods:45 patients with salivary gland tumors were evaluated with conventional MRI, DWI and DCE-MRI prior to surgery and confirmed by pathologic findings. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was calculated from DWI that was obtained with a factor of 0 and 1000 s mm–2. A time-intensity curve (TIC) was obtained from DCE-MRI.Results:In conventional MRI, benign tumors often showed well-defined and clear margins, malignant tumors showed irregular margins or infiltration into the surrounding tissue. There were significant differences with regard to the ADC values between pleomorphic adenoma (1.72 ± 0.29 × 10−3 mm2 s–1) and malignant tumors (0.95 ± 0.09 × 10−3 mm2 s–1, p < 0.05) and between adenolymphoma (0.74 ± 0.05 × 10−3 mm2 s–1) and malignant tumors (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant differences in term of the ADC val...