Experiment study on MR diffusion weighted imaging in rabbit models of lymphadenopathy:comparison between inflammatory and metastatic lymph node

Objective To investigate the value of MR DWI in comparing inflammatory with metastastic lymph node in animal models of lymph disease.Methods Eighteen rabbits with benign lymphadenopathy and 9 rabbits with malignant lymphadenopathy underwent routine MRI and DWI examination.Independent-samples t test was used to compare the sizes and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values between the two groups.Results Thirty-four inflammatory lymph nodes and 18 metastastic lymph nodes were observed .The size of lymph nodes was (8.14±2.79) and (6.29±1.48) mm in the benign and malignant groups, respectively.There was no significant statistical difference between the sizes of the two groups (t=2.624, P 0.05).Mean ADC value of lymph nodes was (1.19±0.31)×10-3mm2/s and (1.31±0.27)×10-3mm2/s in the benign and malignant groups, respectively.There was no significant statistical difference between the ADC values of benign and malignant lymph nodes (t=1.449,P 0.05).Conclusion DWI sequence can be used to show lymphadenopathy, but the ADC value is insufficient to differentiate benign lymph nodes from malignant lymphadenopathy. Key words: Lvmph nodes: Diffusion magetic resonance imaing: Models.animal