Discrimination of brain abscess from necrotic or cystic tumors by diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging

• Published in: Magnetic resonance imaging Vol. 14; no. 9; pp. 1113 - 1116
• Main Authors: Ebisu, Toshihiko, Tanaka, Chuzo, Umeda, Masahiro, Kitamura, Makoto, Naruse, Shoji, Higuchi, Toshihiro, Ueda, Satoshi, Sato, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 1996; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Abscess; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain Abscess - diagnosis; Brain Neoplasms - diagnosis; Cysts - diagnosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Diffusion; Echo planar imaging; Echo-Planar Imaging - methods; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Necrosis; Nervous system; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Brain; Magnetic resonance imaging; Diffusion; Echo planar imaging; Abscess; Human; Male; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Differential diagnostic; Cerebral disorder; Necrosis; Case study; Central nervous system disease; Cyst; Adult; Diffusion coefficient; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0730-725X; 1873-5894
• DOI: 10.1016/S0730-725X(96)00237-8

Diagnostic difficulties in discriminating brain abscess from necrotic or cystic tumors using conventional CT and MRI have been reported. In this article, we examine the diagnostic ability of diffusion-weighted imaging to discriminate brain abscess from necrotic or cystic tumors. In previous reports, necrotic or cystic tumors show low signal intensity in diffusion-weighted imaging, indicating a high apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). In contrast, in our study, high signal intensity was observed in the abscess fluid, associated with low ADC.