Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas

• Published in: Topics in magnetic resonance imaging Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 43 - 47
• Main Authors: Balci, Numan Cem, Perman, William H, Saglam, Sezer, Akisik, Fatih, Fattahi, Rana, Bilgin, Mehmet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.02.2009
• Subjects: Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance - methods; Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance - trends; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Pancreas - pathology; Pancreatic Diseases - diagnosis
• ISSN: 0899-3459; 1536-1004
• DOI: 10.1097/rmr.0b013e3181b48667

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) assesses the random motion of the water protons. The technique is more frequently used in body imaging, and recent investigations showed its use in pancreatic imaging. Diffusion-weighted imaging can be helpful as a complementary imaging method in the differentiation between mass-forming focal pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values derived from DWI can distinguish between simple pancreatic cyst, inflammatory cysts, and cystic neoplasms of the pancreas. Presence of parenchymal fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis causes diffusion restriction and results in lower ADC values on baseline DWI. The ADC values reveal either delayed peak after secretin stimulation or lower peak values in patients with early chronic pancreatitis, which may be helpful to depict chronic pancreatitis in its earliest stage. In this paper, we reviewed the technical aspects of DWI and its use in pancreatic imaging.