Time-Dependent Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Changes in Breast MR Images With Contrast for Tumor Characterization.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Breast MRI diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is crucial for lesion characterization.
• Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values are key metrics in DWI analysis.
• Understanding the impact of contrast timing on ADC is essential for diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how scan timing post-contrast injection affects breast MRI DWI ADC values.
• To determine the role of these time-dependent ADC changes in differentiating breast lesions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 251 breast MRI scans from 251 patients with 258 lesions.
• Measurement of ADC values at precontrast, 3 minutes, and 6 minutes postcontrast.
• Application of statistical methods including ROC analysis and DeLong test for lesion differentiation.

Main Results:

• Contrast injection transiently decreases ADC values within 3 minutes, with partial recovery by 6 minutes.
• ADC values effectively distinguish between benign tumors and malignant cancers.
• ADC differentiation capability is not affected by time-dependent changes postcontrast.

Conclusions:

• Contrast injection timing has minimal impact on the diagnostic performance of ADC in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions.
• Postcontrast DWI sequences can be utilized without compromising diagnostic accuracy for breast lesion assessment.