Diagnostic Significance of DCE-MRI-Related Quantitative Parameters for Nasal Cavity and Sinus Tumors

Our aim was to explore the diagnostic value of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)-related quantitative parameters for benign and malignant nasal cavity and sinus tumors.

A total of 78 patients with nasal sinus tumors admitted to People's Hospital of Qingdao Chengyang District in China were enrolled in our study, Of the patients, 41 were diagnosed as having benign tumors and 37 as having malignant tumors by pathological diagnosis. All patients received DCE-MRI scans before surgery to derive time-intensity curves (TICs) and related quantitative parameters (flux rate constant [Kep], transfer constant [Ktrans], extravascular volume fraction [Ve]). The diagnostic surgical pathology results were used as the gold standard to analyze the diagnostic effect of TIC and related quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine the values of each parameter in predicting nasal sinus tumors.

The percentage of class I in the benign group was significantly higher than in the malignant group (P < .05); the percentage of class III in the benign group was significantly lower than in the malignant group (P < .05); the percentage of class II in the 2 groups was comparable (P > .05). Kep, Ktrans and Ve in the benign group were 0.338±0.124, 0.061±0.035 and 0.532±0.138, respectively; Kep, Ktrans and Ve in the malignant group were 0.785±0.211, 0.441±0.125 and 0.327±0.048, respectively. The levels of Kep and Ktrans were significantly lower in the benign group than in the malignant group (all P < .05); the levels of Ve were significantly higher in the benign group than in the malignant group (P < .05). The optimal Kep cut-off value for predicting malignant nasal sinus tumors was 0.510 min-1, with a sensitivity of 81.4% and specificity of 89.5%; the optimal Ktrans cut-off value for predicting malignant nasal sinus tumors was 0.206 min-1, with a sensitivity of 84.3% and specificity of 89.7%; the optimal Ve cut-off value for predicting malignant nasal sinus tumors was 0.384 min-1, with a sensitivity of 71.8% and specificity of 82.4%.

DCE-MRI-related quantitative parameters are ideal for the diagnosis of benign and malignant nasal sinus tumors. This modality provides more data for the identification of the nature of the tumor, and thus merits clinical promotion and application.