Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI to Differentiate Parotid Neoplasms Using Golden-Angle Radial Sparse Parallel Imaging

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Parotid neoplasms present overlapping imaging features between benign and malignant types.
• Accurate differentiation is crucial for appropriate patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) using golden-angle radial sparse parallel imaging for differentiating parotid neoplasms.
• To assess the diagnostic performance of this technique in predicting neoplasm type and malignancy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 41 parotid neoplasms imaged with DCE-MRI using golden-angle radial sparse parallel imaging.
• Classification of time-intensity curves (TICs) and semiquantitative metrics.
• Multivariate analysis combining TIC metrics with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values.

Main Results:

• Moderate-to-substantial interreader agreement for TIC classification.
• TIC classification showed high negative predictive value for malignancy (92.0%-100%) and high positive predictive value for pleomorphic adenoma (87.0%-95.0%).
• Combining time-to-maximum from TICs and ADC values improved pleomorphic adenoma prediction.

Conclusions:

• Golden-angle radial sparse parallel DCE-MRI provides high spatial and temporal resolution for parotid neoplasm characterization.
• This technique offers a high negative predictive value for malignancy.
• Combined analysis of TICs and ADC enhances the prediction of pleomorphic adenoma.