Time-Dependent Diffusion MRI to Distinguish Malignant From Benign Bone Tumors

Motivation: Clinical applications of time-dependent diffusion MRI (td-dMRI) for differentiating benign and malignant bone tumors are rarely explored. Goal(s): To investigate the utility of td-dMRI in distinguishing between malignant and benign bone tumors using ADC obtained from oscillating gradient spin-echo (OGSE) and pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE) diffusion MRI sequences with different effective diffusion times. Approach: ADCOGSE and ADCPGSE values of fifty patients were compared using the independent samples t-test. ROC curve was used to assess the diagnostic performance in differentiation between benign and malignant lesions. Results: The ADC values obtained by td-dMRI show potential diagnostic values in differentiating benign and malignant bone tumors. Impact: The td-dMRI technology links the diffusion-time dependence of water diffusion in living cells to specific microstructural parameters. ADC values derived from td-dMRI at different gradient oscillation frequencies showed potential diagnostic value for clinical differentiation between benign and malignant bone tumors.