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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
03:19
Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
Published on: June 21, 2024
Characterization of genitourinary lesions with diffusion-weighted imaging
Farhood Saremi1, Andrew N Knoll, Omid J Bendavid
1Department of Radiological Sciences, Division of Body Imaging, University of California-Irvine, UCI Medical Center, 101 The City Drive, Route 140, Orange, CA 92868-3298, USA. fsaremi@uci.edu
Summary
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is now valuable in abdominopelvic MRI, aiding genitourinary lesion detection and characterization. This technique enhances diagnostic utility with minimal time increase, offering an alternative for contrast-allergic patients.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Background:
- Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a key neuroradiology technique.
- Previous technical limitations hindered DWI's use in body imaging.
- Advances in MR technology are overcoming these limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic utility of adding DWI to abdominopelvic MRI protocols.
- To assess DWI's role in detecting and characterizing genitourinary tract lesions.
- To explore DWI's application in differentiating benign from malignant processes and assessing treatment response.
Main Methods:
- Inclusion of DWI sequences in routine abdominopelvic MR imaging protocols.
- Utilizing DWI for genitourinary tract lesion detection and characterization.
- Investigating the feasibility of body DWI at 3.0 T.
Main Results:
- DWI provides diagnostically useful information in abdominopelvic MRI with minimal added scan time.
- DWI aids in detecting and characterizing genitourinary lesions with equivocal signal intensity.
- DWI can differentiate benign from malignant processes, assess metastases, recurrence, and treatment response.
- DWI is valuable for patients with renal insufficiency or contrast allergies.
Conclusions:
- DWI is a valuable addition to abdominopelvic MRI protocols, especially for genitourinary imaging.
- DWI enhances lesion detection, characterization, and treatment assessment without contrast agents.
- Further investigation is needed to establish routine use of DWI at 3.0 T.
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