Feasibility study of using time-dependent diffusion MRI to distinguish parotid polymorphic adenoma from Warthin's tumor

IMPULSED (Imaging Microstructural Parameters Using Limited Spectrally Edited Diffusion) imaging method based on time-dependent diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be used to quantify cell sizes. We found that several quantitative parameters derived from IMPULSED including Vin (intracellular volume fraction), d (volume-weighted mean cell size) and cellularity showed significant differences between polymorphic adenoma (PA) and Warthin’s tumor (WT) in the parotid gland. Our findings shed light on the role of IMPULSED-derived quantitative parameters in distinguishing PAs from WTs preoperatively.