T2-weighted combined with diffusion-weighted images for evaluating prostatic transition zone tumors at 3 Tesla. (April 2013) - Ren, Jing
Aim: We hypothesize that the combination of T2 -weighted (T2 W) MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) methods provides a powerful clinical application for the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and benign lesion in the prostatic transition zone (TZ).Methods: This retrospective study included 113 patients who were diagnosed with TZ lesions by MRI. The apparent diffusion coefficient values were compared between biopsy-proven benign and malignant lesions.Results: The apparent diffusion coefficient values for the malignant nodules were significantly lower than those of the benign nodules. The area under the curve values for T2 W imaging combined with DWI and T2 W imaging alone were 0.991 and 0.884, respectively.Conclusion: T2 W combined with DWI provides a powerful tool for noninvasive differentiation between malignant and benign prostatic hyperplasia nodules in the prostatic TZ.