Apparent diffusion coefficient of pituitary macroadenoma evaluated with line-scan diffusion-weighted imaging

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Pituitary macroadenomas are common tumors.
• Assessing tumor consistency preoperatively is valuable for surgical planning.
• Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) shows potential for non-invasive tissue characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the consistency of pituitary macroadenoma using apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) with line-scan diffusion-weighted imaging (LSDWI).
• To determine if ADC values correlate with intraoperative tumor consistency (soft, intermediate, hard).

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 19 patients with pituitary macroadenoma.
• Line-scan diffusion-weighted imaging (LSDWI) performed with a maximum b-factor of 1000 s/mm2.
• Tumor consistency assessed during transsphenoidal surgery and compared with ADC values.

Main Results:

• Soft consistency observed in 13 patients (mean ADC: 0.84±0.1x10^-3 mm2/s).
• Intermediate consistency observed in 6 patients (mean ADC: 0.81±0.16x10^-3 mm2/s).
• No significant difference in ADC values between soft and intermediate consistency tumors (P=0.37). No hard consistency tumors were found.

Conclusions:

• This study using LSDWI did not demonstrate a relationship between tumor consistency and ADC values for soft and intermediate pituitary macroadenomas.
• Further research with larger cohorts or advanced DWI techniques may be needed to explore this relationship.