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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
Ability of diffusion-weighted imaging for the differential diagnosis between chronic expanding hematomas and
Kiyoshi Oka1, Toshitake Yakushiji, Hiro Sato
1Department of Orthopaedic and Neuro-Musculoskeletal Surgery, Faculty of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan. okaokay5888@yahoo.co.jp
Purpose:
To evaluate the potential of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing chronic expanding hematomas (CEHs) from malignant soft tissue tumors.
Materials And Methods:
We performed conventional MRI and DWI of six CEHs and 31 malignant soft tissue tumors from 37 patients seen between May 2000 and November 2006. DWI was obtained with a single-shot echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence using a 1.5T MR imager. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value was also calculated. We evaluated MRI findings of CEHs and compared ADC value of CEHs with malignant soft tissue tumors.
Results:
On conventional MRI, two of six CEHs were difficult to differentiate from malignant soft tissue tumors based on imaging findings. The mean ADC value of CEHs and malignant soft tissue tumors was 1.55+/-0.121x10(-3) mm2/sec and 0.92+/-0.139x10(-3) mm2/sec (mean+/-SD), respectively. The mean ADC value of CEHs was significantly higher than that of malignant soft tissue tumors (P<0.01). There was no overlap in the minimum ADC values among CEHs and malignant soft tissue tumors.
Conclusion:
DWI is useful for differentiating between CEHs and malignant soft tissue tumors.

