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Updated: Apr 19, 2026
Author Spotlight: A 3D Digital Model for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Nodules
Published on: May 19, 2023
Value of diffusion-weighted MR imaging using various parameters for assessment and characterization of solitary
Hisanobu Koyama1, Yoshiharu Ohno2, Shinichiro Seki1
1Division of Radiology, Department of Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Objectives:
To determine the appropriate parameters and evaluation method for characterizing solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) using quantitative parameters of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).
Methods:
Thirty-two subjects with 36 SPNs underwent DWI with seven different b values (0, 50, 100, 150, 300, 500, and 1000s/mm(2)). Five quantitative parameters were obtained from the region of interest drawn over each SPN: apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs), true diffusion coefficients (DCs), and perfusion fractions (PFs), and signal-intensity ratios between lesion and spinal cord from DWI (b values: 1000 [LSR1000] and 500 [LSR500)]). All quantitative parameters and the diagnostic capabilities were statistically compared.
Results:
SPNs were diagnosed as follow: malignant (n=27) and benign (n=9). Parameter comparisons for malignant and benign showed both LSRs differed significantly (p<0.05). Applying feasible threshold values showed LSR500 specificity (88.9% [8/9]) and accuracy (77.8% [28/36]) were significantly higher than ADC, DC, and PF specificity and accuracy (p<0.05). LSR1000 accuracy (72.2% [26/36]) was significantly higher than DC accuracy, and its specificity (88.9% [8/9]) was significantly higher than ADC, DC, and PF specificities (p<0.05).
Conclusions:
For quantitative differentiation of SPNs, LSR evaluation was more useful and practical than ADC, DC, and PF, and choice of b values showed little impact for the differentiation.
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