Report of negative diffusion-weighted MR imaging during tumor resections using intraoperative MRI

Intraoperative MR imaging allows surgeons to continually assess the extent of resection of a tumor and other potential complications. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) is a very important diagnostic tool for the early detection of ischemic injury to the brain. Ischemic changes could potentially result in the development of infarction and neurological deficits during brain tumor resections; however, the incidence and importance of negative DWI is poorly understood. Here, we describe 3 cases of negative DWI during brain tumor resections using BrainSUITE, and discuss the possible causes and outcomes in these patients.