Diffusion-weighted images offer diagnostic potential in abdomen

Parallel imaging has opened the door to diffusion-weighted imaging of the body. A diffusion-weighted transverse image of a rectal lesion (m-shaped dark area in top image) in an 83-year-old man corresponds to the pathological specimen (bottom image). Abnormal signal near the bladder (black dot upper middle of top image) is an artifact from the intestines.

The diffusion-weighted image was obtained using Toshiba's version of parallel imaging, called SPEEDER, which achieves an in-plane isotropic resolution of 0.5 mm on an Excelart 1.5T Vantage system. The high-resolution map of the malignancy was generated by radiologists at Hasuda Hospital in Hasuda, Japan, using an eight-channel torso coil and a SPEEDER factor of 1.6. Data acquisition was performed in four minutes.

Japanese radiologists expect this application, when used in combination with T1- and T2-weighted imaging, to improve tumor detectability and contribute to the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions. They have successfully applied diffusion-weighted imaging to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, and lung cancer. (Provided by Dr. Shizuaki Maejima, Hasuda Hospital)